Demon Of The Hidden Leaf
by Young Napoleon22
Summary: After witnessing what it means to be a real shinobi Naruto decides that it's time to take off the kid gloves and get serious. A mist has begun to fall over Konoha, and in its hazy depths waits a new Demon, one who will honor the man that opened his eyes.
1. Chapter 1

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.1- Passing of the Kubikiribocho**_**

 ** _ **This story is currently being edited, so any discrepancies you find while reading be assured It won't be for long. The revision is almost over.**_**

 _ _ **A/N: I've read stories where Naruto takes Zabuza's sword, but only one of them has been about him honoring the mantle of Demon of the Mist. Personally, I feel like the series should have taken a major turning point there with Naruto's development...but it didn't. So, here's how I think it should have gone from the Wave mission onward. Now, there's no pairing yet, the actual pairing won't really take place until the Shippuden era. So the first half is more about setting up. I hope you guys enjoy this one.**__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto sat on his knees, staring at the grave sites in front of him. He and his team had just finished their first C-ranked mission; although certain variables inevitably upgraded it to an A-rank. And now both of those variables lay buried in the earth: Zabuza Momochi and his partner Haku.

It had started out like any other basic escort mission, Naruto and his squad traveling slowly through the Land of Fire to get to a port that would take them to Wave country...but then everything changed when they were ambushed by a pair of Kirigakure chunin known as the Demon Brothers. The battle was short, but it foreshadowed an even greater threat laying in wait for them.

That threat came in the form of the Kiri's former Seven Swordsmen member Zabuza; Demon of the Mist, and master of the silent killing technique. After a hard fought battle, where the trio of genin were forced to face the Demon alone and save their sensei, Squad 7 managed to pull out a win.

Or so they thought.

Naruto's Jounin instructor, Kakashi, informed the team that Zabuza had survived the encounter; the hunter-ninja that had taken him out was a fake.

Estimating it would take their adversary at least a week to recover, Kakashi used that time to introduce his genin to chakra control exercises. Naruto and his team-mate's practiced the tree-climbing technique for seven days before they were back in action and ready for round two. _That's_ where things got dicey.

The reason being?

Over the course of that week Naruto had met and made a friend, someone who taught him a valuable lesson: _When you fight to protect someone, that is when you become truly strong._ The young boy's words struck a chord with the blonde and left Naruto with a lot to think about.

The following day they met up again, the boy was gathering more herbs like before, to aid in his friends recovery, and Naruto was more than happy to help. After that, the two spent time talking before the older raven-haired boy said he needed to return home. Naruto said his goodbyes and went back to his training, hopeful that he would get to see his friend again tomorrow.

That 'tomorrow' happened to be the day Zabuza struck again,and when the blonde finally arrived on the scene, the Naruto found himself wishing that he _hadn't_ been so hopeful.

Because his friend, Haku, turned out to be Zabuza's accomplice.

The feeling of betrayal weighed heavily on the young Leaf-ninja's shoulders as he did battle with his former friend. Naruto attempted to get the former Mist-ninja to withdraw, make him see that they didn't have to fight, but Haku would always just reply with the same response.

" _I want to protect the person important to me...I want to work for that person. I want to fight for that person. I want to make that person's dreams come true...That is_ _ ** _my_**_ _dream_."

And so they fought. But even with Sasuke awakening his _Sharingan,_ the two genin were no match for Haku and his _**Crystal-Ice Mirrors**_.

However Haku realized that drawing out the battle any longer could result in his defeat, so with an apology to his foes, he struck. A hail of senbon rained down upon Naruto and Sasuke. It was after not feeling any pain that Naruto opened his eyes, the ones he hadn't realized he'd closed, and was greeted with a horrific sight.

Sasuke Uchiha, his team-mate and friend, lay at his feet covered in needles. His body leaking blood from every wound. Sasuke had sacrificed himself to save the blonde.

Everything went red for Naruto after that.

The blonde only remembered feeling an intense rage, almost _hatred_ , but the events that took place after still escape him. Kakashi would later inform him of how, after subduing both Haku and Zabuza, he'd chopped the blonde in the neck.

The next thing Naruto did recall was hearing Gato clap, and then the bloodbath brought on by an angry Zabuza; who fought with only a single kunai in his mouth to avenge the recently fallen Haku. Naruto would later learn that it had been Kakashi that had done the boy in with his _**Raikiri**_.

Soon after, once Zabuza had killed Gato and the people of Wave forced out the thugs threatening their village, Naruto and his team encircled the dying Mist-ninja and the lifeless body of Haku as it started, surprisingly, to snow.

Zabuza spoke of just how much Haku meant to him, the boy's loyalty and his friendship despite the swordsman's own cruel and blunt nature. Of how he wished he could follow Haku into heaven; if only so that he could tell the young ninja in person, just once, how important he really was to Zabuza.

But it was not to be, and the powerful swordsman passed from the land of the living burdened with that regret.

Yet through it all, Naruto Uzumaki felt more respect for Zabuza than he had ever felt for any other person in his life.

"I thought I might find you here," a calm voice echoed from behind Naruto. The orange-clad blonde turned his head to see the form of his sensei walking up to him.

Letting out a pained sigh Naruto replied, "Yeah, I just...wanted to say goodbye one more time before we head out tomorrow."

Kakashi looked on with his one eye as his student turned back to the two makeshift graves he'd constructed for the dead Kiri shinobi. Over each mound of dirt were wooden crosses made from stakes the blonde had carved from tree branches; Zabuza's zanbato, _Kubikiribocho_ _,_ thrust into the ground behind his marker.

The silver-haired Jounin noticed how Naruto's gaze would linger on Zabuza's blade, as if trying to will the man back to life to take hold of it again. This surprised the elite ninja, having never seen such a look on the young boy's face.

"I know it's hard Naruto, but he died a death that was more than honorable for someone of his status," Kakashi said as he placed a hand on his student's shoulder. But he was surprised when his gesture was shrugged off.

Naruto turned and looked into Kakashi's lone eye with one of his own as he said, "Oh yeah? And now what happens, huh? Is his name just gonna fade into the wind, because I doubt Mist will put it on __their__ memorial stone. I bet they're just gonna sweep all this up and paint him as some sort of... _defective weapon_ that they couldn't control and use him as some example of what _not t_ o be!"

"So you're saying you care about the reputation of an enemy ninja, a man that attempted to end your life in pursuit of his own goals?" Kakashi asked in curiosity. He'd never heard of something like this happening before. Usually a ninja was all too happy to drag an enemy's name through the mud if it meant their own fame would increase.

The Jounin instructor was pulled from his musings by the blonde genin's voice as he replied.

"Of course I care, Zabuza was more than just some enemy ninja. He was a person; with his own ambitions and dreams. He was also a powerful ninja who deserves respect and just thinking about what's probably going to happen to his reputation makes me so mad!"

Naruto's outburst caused Kakashi to lean back a little due to the volume, but that didn't take away from the message he got: his student held the Demon of the Mist in extremely high regard, and wished for people to remember the fallen ninja with honor.

This cemented a decision he'd been turning over in his head the past few nights while the bridge was being finished.

So, standing back to his full height, Kakashi turned as if to leave and said, "You know, something I learned about the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist is that, whenever a member falls, their blade is passed down to whoever managed to slay them. And while _technically_ Zabuza died from his wounds, I'd say __you__ were the one to defeat him. It was your words that changed his mind and made him put his life on the line to avenge Haku; you defeated the Demon of the Mist Naruto. _Kubikiribocho_ belongs to you now...if you want it."

And with that, the older male walked away, leaving a wide-eyed blonde sitting with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Naruto closed his mouth, and then swiveled his head around to return his gaze to the giant blade buried in the earth. Did he dare take it?

While it was true he wanted the Demon of the Mist to be remembered with respect, Naruto wasn't sure _he_ was truly good enough to carry on the name; he was after all the dead-last in the academy.

 _ _'What if...what if I just end up embarrassing myself? What if I don't have what it takes? Zabuza was a true elite ninja, a master of stealth with more kills under his belt than most of the ninja from__ _ ** _my own_**_ _ _village, and on top of that he was as powerful as Kakashi-sensei without using some special power! Kakashi-sensei even said that he'd__ _ ** _need_**_ _ _the Sharingan to battle Zabuza, can I really reach that kind of level?'__

It was a glint of light that brought the blonde out of his swirling thoughts.

Blinking his shocking blue eyes rapidly Naruto turned his attention to where the gleam was coming from, and realized it was coming from the very sword he was debating about. Naruto noticed that it was now mid-day, he'd been out there all morning, and so the sun was in the center of the sky casting its light down upon all that lived beneath it. This caused Zabuza's sword to reflect the light, catching Naruto in the eye.

With his attention returned to the blade, Naruto soon found himself lost in the refection of himself that stared back at him. For what felt like hours he stared into his own blue eyes, searching for something that he couldn't identify, before breaking the trance to look upwards towards his headband.

After staring at the reflection of his headpiece, the young Uzumaki returned to looking at his own reflection. It was after another minute of silent staring that Naruto reached up, and turned his headband to the side.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Kakashi stood with two of his genin along the end of _'_ _ _The Great Naruto__ _Bridge'._ All of Wave country seemed to be standing along the massive structure with the intent to see the team of ninja off.

Now they just needed their fourth member.

"Ugh, what's taking Naruto-baka so long? We were supposed to have left _hours_ ago Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura wailed to her superior. Beside her Sasuke just raised a questioning eyebrow.

Kakashi didn't even bother to look up from his book as he replied, "Don't worry Sakura I'm sure Naruto's on his way now; you know how he likes to spend time at the grave-sites ."

"Yeah, I guess, but the mission's over and I wanna go home. Not that I don't appreciate Tazuna-san's hospitality, but I just really miss my own bed."

"Well you'll be seeing it soon," Sasuke cut in, "here comes the dobe now."

And he was right, through the crowd of people each member of Team 7 could see a mop of blonde hair making its way towards them. Soon Naruto exited the sea of people and greeted his fellow squad-mates.

Two of the three were surprised by what greeted them.

Naruto stood before them, looking mostly the same, but there were two distinct differences. One was the fact that his headband had been turned sideways, and the other, more obvious thing, was the fact that he had the sword that belonged to Zabuza strapped to his back.

Almost immediately Sakura was in his face growling.

"Naruto-baka what do you think you're doing with that sword; what kind of ninja robs someones grave!?" She ended her interrogation with a fist to the top of Naruto's skull.

Naruto massaged the small knot on his head as he answered his crush. "I didn't steal it Sakura-chan, ask Kakashi-sensei if you want, but I heard what you said about wanting to go home so maybe we can talk about this later?" He said in a subdued tone.

The pink-haired girl was a little taken back by the low, tired voice her usually loud team-mate spoke with. She eyed him with concern for a moment, before turning to her sensei, and then saying, "You're right, I do want to go home, so let's just go."

With that, the foursome made their exit from Wave country, leaving behind a cheering crowd and taking with them each their own set of memories.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The trip _back_ to Konoha was uneventful; no ninja hiding in puddles waiting to attack. And while Sasuke was busy flashing his newly acquired __Sharingan__ on and off, with Sakura complimenting the Uchiha on how powerful it made him look, Naruto remained silent.

As he sped through the trees the blonde's mind was continuously going over his decision to take up Zabuza's mantle. While he'd decided that it was what he wanted, he still had to think about how best to go about it. More specifically, what he'd need to work on to be a worthy successor.

Naruto knew that his taijutsu needed work, he only knew the basics of the academy style, and even then he'd skipped classes so there were definite holes in his stance. The blonde thought back to the rogue ninja's style, and how he incorporated not just punches, but kicks, elbows, and even his sword into his attack patterns.

Next he thought about his repertoire of ninjutsu.

At the moment Naruto counted that he had three combat jutsu and one ineffective technique that, if he was going to take this seriously, he would need to throw ou _t._ _ _'So that leaves me with the__ _ _ **Henge**__ _ _,__ _ _ **Kawarimi**__ _ _, and my__ _ _ **Kage-Bunshin.**__ _ _'__ _The blonde deduced._

 _'_ _ _If I really wanna do this, I'm gonna need to seriously step up my game. Zabuza used some pretty high level techniques, and then there's his__ _ _ **Hidden-Mist jutsu**__ _ _; problem is where am I gonna get somebody to teach me it?'__

Figuring he'd deal with that later the blonde then turned his thoughts towards his speed and strength.

One he lacked, the other needed work. Naruto hadn't even been able to keep up with Zabuza's movements during their first encounter, the man moved so fast it was mind-boggling. Then there was his strength, made obvious by the way he easily handled his large zanbato with just one hand; where as Naruto was forced to use both just to pull it from the ground.

Naruto knew he probably had the highest physical strength among his graduating class, having spent many nights conditioning his body, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough if he was to become the new Demon of the Mist.

 _ _'That's another thing,__ _'_ Naruto thought to himself, __'Am I still the Demon of the Mist if I'm a ninja of the Hidden Leaf? Was Zabuza's title based off his village, or his jutsu?'__

Shaking his head the blonde decided that, even _if_ the title was originally coined from the man's village, _he_ would make it based off his use of the technique itself...once he found a way to learn it.

Naruto recalled only actually seeing Zabuza do it once, and unfortunately that wasn't enough..for...him...

Suddenly Naruto's eyes widened with inspiration as he remembered an impromptu lesson he'd received on the battlefield about the __Sharingan__.

Turning his blue-eyed gaze in the direction of his Jounin instructor, Naruto remembered that behind the man's slanted headband was one of those famous copy-wheel eyes; and he'd seen Zabuza use the technique he wanted to learn!

With plans to speak with his sensei after reporting in to old man Sarutobi, Naruto settled down and relaxed the rest of the trip home.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

"So your C-rank turned into an A-rank, and yet you continued on, knowingly putting your genin in danger?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime, asked the Jounin in front of him.

Kakashi nervously scratched behind his head as he replied. "Well, I asked them if they wanted to return home, but each of them was hellbent on aiding the people of Wave. They said something about 'not being able to turn away from a country in need', it was really quite noble Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen steepled his fingers and eyed each of the three genin that stood in his office. When his eyes landed on Naruto he spoke up again. "And is the reason you've brought the famed _'Head Cleaver'_ home, so that you could collect the bounty on Zabuza's head?"

The old man hid his surprise when the blonde shot him a disgusted look; as if such a thing were a form of blasphemy.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Kakashi beat him to it.

"Actually, Lord Hokage, Naruto thought it'd be interesting to learn how to use the sword. He saw the way Zabuza almost defeated me with it, and figured if he could get as good he'd be that much more likely to take that hat from you."

The elderly Kage eyed his Jounin suspiciously but didn't say any more on the subject. Instead, he let out a sigh and said, "Very well then, mission accomplished Squad 7, you may pick up your paychecks tomorrow after we've recalculated the amounts to hand out. For now, you are dismissed."

After bidding goodbye to their leader the members of Squad 7 left the Hokage's office and began exiting the building. Once outside, Sasuke ignored Sakura's request to walk her home and began the trek to his clan compound.

Naruto, seeing the young girl's sad eyes, attempted to cheer her up.

"Hey Sakura-chan, if you want, I'll walk you home after I'm done talking to Kakashi-sensei."

The sadness in Sakura's green eyes quickly turned to annoyance as she turned to look at her other team-mate.

"Naruto-baka how many times do I have to tell you, I don't wanna go out with you, and I don't wanna spend time with you outside of team stuff. You're annoying."

With that the young kunoichi huffed and walked off, leaving Naruto to slump a little in defeat.

Sighing in resignation the blonde turned his attention to his sensei, who had stopped and waited after hearing that his student wanted to talk to him. Naruto then asked, "Kakashi-sensei your __Sharingan__ can copy pretty much any jutsu right?"

"Just about, yes, unless it's a technique tailored specifically for that ninja; like Haku's mirrors. Why?"

"Because I was hoping you were able to copy Zabuza's _**Hidden-Mist**_ _ **jutsu,**_ and that you could tell me how to do it."

The older man was a little shocked at his student's request. What he'd said back in the Hokage's office was actually pretty close to what he thought was the truth; leaving out the admiration Naruto had for Zabuza for obvious reasons. So the fact that he asked to learn one of another village's signature jutsu threw him off.

Eyeing the blonde curiously he asked, "I did actually, why, what do you want with it?"

"Your genin student asks you for help and your first instinct is to question him?" Naruto asked with an attitude.

"It is when I don't see any reason to teach him what he wants to know."

Naruto turned his eyes away for a few moments, mulling over whether or not to reveal his true intentions before finally looking to Kakashi again.

"...I want to become the next Demon of the Mist and, to do that, I need to know the technique that helped make Zabuza so famous."

Now Kakashi's eye was wide, his eyebrow disappearing into his slanted headband. His masked mouth hung open in shock before he replied.

"N-Naruto do you understand what you just said? Do you understand what it __means__ to take on that mantle because I don't think you do."

The blonde in question just lowered his head, blue eyes hidden by shadows as he answered.

"Actually, I do. That mission opened my eyes Kakashi-sensei, it helped me realize that being a ninja is more than just flashy moves and a fancy nicknames. I learned that being a ninja is about stealth, and being able to think ahead, to be able to shed the blood of another human being because when it comes down to it it's either you or them. I understand that, to truly honor Zabuza, I have to become a _real_ shinobi."

Naruto's speech hit the Copy-ninja hard. He'd never met a genin that spoke with such passion or understanding of what it meant to take up the title of 'ninja'. It was more than just putting on a headband; it was forging yourself into something beyond human.

However, Kakashi needed to know one more thing before making his decision.

"Naruto, do you think you're ready to become the next Demon of the Mist?"

"...No." Naruto answered. "I'm not ready, but that's why I'm going to train, for real this time. On the way back to the village I went over the basics of what I need to improve on, and now it's time that I get to work. I'm not ready now, but I will be."

That was all Kakashi needed to hear. "Okay Naruto, come with me and I'll teach you how to use the _**Hidden-Mist jutsu**_."

 **xXx**

 _A/N: And there it is, the first chapter. In my first story I got a review about Naruto becoming strong way too fast, and looking back, yeah I messed that up. In fact I noticed a lot of things that I could have done better. So, this story will be my attempt at learning from my mistakes and applying my new understanding._


	2. Chapter 2

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.2- Gearing up and getting down to business**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The morning after his return from Wave found Naruto snoozing in his bed. The day before, he'd gotten Kakashi to teach him how to do the _**_**Hidden-Mist**_**_ _ ** __**_ _ **jutsu**_. And although the blonde wasn't experienced enough to do the technique without some form of water present, they did discover that he only needed a small amount to get him started. So Kakashi mentioned that for now, he could carry around a water bottle.

While this irked Naruto he was still happy that he could at least __do__ the technique. It was the first step on the long road to his goal.

Afterwards, Naruto had gone to Ichiraku's to regale the father/daughter duo of his time in Wave. It was on the walk home that he noticed the looks he was getting.

Now Naruto had grown used to being looked at, mostly in disgust or anger, but this time the citizens looked at him with confusion...and a little bit of fear.

Or rather, they looked at his __sword__ with fear.

Naruto knew the civilians didn't understand the true nature of the blade, so he guessed they were just afraid that _he himself_ had it; this made Naruto scoff to himself. After returning home he completed his workout and then went to bed. He had a busy day tomorrow.

The following morning, letting out a yawn, the young genin rose from his bed ready to begin the day. After finishing his morning routine the blonde went to get dressed. And then he stopped.

As he looked at himself in the mirror Naruto realized something; his wardrobe needed an upgrade. The blonde thought about how he'd seen not only Zabuza dress, but Haku and Kakashi-sensei as well. All three of them wore dark or neutral colors that helped keep them hidden in their environment.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, at his orange pants and his orange jacket yet to be zipped up revealing the black shirt underneath, Naruto cringed.

"I can't strike fear int my opponents looking like this, but where am I gonna get new clothes? Everywhere I go the people rip me off...unless they don't know it's _me_ they're selling to."

Setting up his hands in the proper sign, and then a puff of smoke later, Naruto was replaced with a young brunette boy, with green eyes, dressed in basic civilian clothes.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

It didn't take long for Naruto to find a store that sold shinobi items; being a ninja village meant that many of the stores catered to that group of clientele. With a ringing of the bell atop the door, the disguised Uzumaki made his way inside a store that looked promising.

When the young woman behind the counter didn't say anything Naruto had to hold back a grin at how successful his plan was turning out; why hadn't he thought of this before?

Scanning the shop looking for his section the former blonde noticed that there were two women by the dressing rooms talking.

The first one he recognized from the Academy; she'd been a guest speaker in their genjutsu class. Kurenai Yuhi, if memory served right. She was beautiful, something Naruto could see even with his crush on Sakura.

She had shoulder-length, raven-black hair and piercing red eyes that were shadowed with liner. The older kunoichi was outfitted in a thigh-length dress that was a mixture between a kimono and medical tape. One of the sleeves had been torn away, and this showed that her entire arm, from bicep to fingertip, was wrapped in bandages. Naruto could see mesh armor underneath from the neckline of her dress. Kurenai wore standard shinobi sandals and her headband was used to keep her hair out of her face.

Turning his gaze over Naruto was met with the sight of another beautiful young woman; this one Naruto hadn't seen before. Her hair was purple, and tied back in a fanning ponytail. Her eyes were a light-brown, and were pupil-less, but that only added to their look in Naruto's mind. The kunoichi was dressed in a tan trench coat and a mesh shirt, her lower-body barely covered by her burnt-orange skirt. Naruto saw that she also wore shin-guards, along with the standard shinobi sandals.

Apparently, he'd been staring too long, because the purple-haired woman turned her eyes on him and said, "Hey kid, why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer."

This snapped Naruto out of his stupor, and shaking his head to clear his mind answered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare, I just...um—"

"Got caught up in checking out two hot women, there's no need to deny it, but next time remember the golden rule: glance and turn. Otherwise-" here Naruto lost sight of her, until he felt cold steel pressed gently against his cheek, "you may just get hurt."

Swallowing the lump in his throat the disguised Uzumaki nodded before saying, "Lesson learned, again, I'm sorry for staring."

Anko pulled away from him and patted him on the shoulder. "Good, sorry if I scared ya. I just I feel it's my duty as a woman to curb any early signs of perversion, so that there are least a few decent men in the world you know?"

"Um.."

"Anko enough, if you keep antagonizing the kid I won't treat you to dango and you'll have to buy it yourself." Kurenai cut in, taking pity on the young boy. This got the other kunoichi's attention quickly.

"No! Okay, I'll stop, just anything but that."

Smirking in satisfaction Kurenai said, "Good, then let's go, we've been here way too long and you haven't even bought anything."

As she followed her raven-haired friend out the door Anko muttered, "Of course I didn't, we were there for _you_ remember?"

Once he was alone again Naruto shook his head in amusement before turning his attention back to the matter at hand: outfitting himself like a true shinobi.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

While Naruto perused the racks of clothing back in the store, Anko and Kurenai walked down through the streets heading for Anko's favorite shop. It was a few minutes before the purple-haired kunoichi spoke up, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Was it just me, or was that kid back in the store wearing a _**_**henge**_**_?"

"No, I noticed it too." Kurenai replied.

"That's...weird. You have any idea who it could have been, or why they might have been doing it?"

Kurenai shook her head. "I'm really not sure about the 'why', but I have a good guess as to 'who'."

This interested Anko, "Really, who was it, and how do you know?"

By this time they'd made it to the dango shop, and both women sat down at the bar. While the T&I specialist motioned her order to the man behind the counter, Kurenai answered her question. "I'm pretty sure it was Naruto Uzumaki."

Anko's faced crinkled in confusion, "The _jinchuuriki_? How do you know?"

"He's one of only a handful of people with a chakra signature as noticeable as the one he's got; the others being Lord Hokage, Kakashi, and Guy. And I don't see any reason they'd be using a transformation jutsu to sneak go into a clothing store."

"But why does the kid need to _sneak into_ a clothing store?" Anko asked around a mouthful of the dumplings that had just been handed to her.

"Because many of the villagers don't get too happy when he enters their shops; at least that's what Hinata's told me from watching him."

The rest of their time together, Anko's face would remain scrunched in thought.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Inside one of the changing stalls Naruto had undone his disguise and was checking himself in the mirror.

His torso was covered in a sleeveless, black hoodie zipped to the top. His lower-body was hidden away underneath a pair of black cargo pants; with his kunai and shuriken holsters strapped to his thigh and hip respectively. On his feet were the regulation sandals, and his wrists were taped. His headband was tied around his forehead, but remained turned to the side, and finally, Naruto had wrapped white medical tape around the lower-half of his face.

The blonde turned from one side to the other, taking in his new look, before grinning in satisfaction and changing before replacing his _**_**henge**_**_. After that was done, he gathered his clothes, and proceeded towards the register to check out.

Once finished buying his new clothes, and making sure he had extra, Naruto exited the store and returned home where he then proceeded to once again drop his transformation jutsu. As he was putting his new wardrobe away the blonde thought about what his first step should be to reaching his goal.

"I should probably work on my taijutsu first." He said quietly to himself.

And with that thought in mind, Naruto once again left his little apartment to make his way towards the library.

It used to be that Naruto wasn't particularly allowed in the library, the woman who ran it banned him for being a 'trouble maker', but now that he was an official ninja of the village Naruto was granted a special level of access to certain sections of the building. However, with Konoha being a ninja village, there were still some sections that only chunin or above level shinobi were allowed to pull from.

Naruto was fine with that for now. The amount of knowledge available to him now was vastly superior to the scraps he'd been fed in the academy, so the blonde decided to be make due with what he was given, and be happy with it. His obvious first stop was the taijutsu section, followed swiftly by a section dedicated to training exercises.

Taking a handful of both types, the blonde ambled over to a table and sat down, before opening up the first taijutsu scroll. The _Kam-no-Ken_ , or Turtle fist, specializes in counter-attacks. This style uses the opening's your opponent creates when they attack against them; primarily used by defensive fighters.

After reading the description Naruto knew immediately that this wasn't the style for him, he was anything but a defensive fighter, so he moved on the the next scroll in the stack. This one was called the __Hachidori-ken__ ; Hummingbird fist. That style was quick, and used jabs as its primary attack, but it required an intense amount of speed to be effective. Something Naruto didn't have.

As he picked up his third scroll he thought hopefully to himself _,_ _ _'Third time's the charm right?'__

And in this case, it was true. After opening the parchment, and reading the description, Naruto's face lit up into a thousand-watt smile; he'd found his new taijutsu style.

The _O-no-Ken_ ; King's fist.

This style not only incorporated using more than just standard punches and kicks, it was also based on strength. Naruto read further and found it got a huge boost if the user was fast, although speed wasn't the primary element. And although it didn't have a five-star defense, Naruto believed in striking first and taking out your enemy before they had a chance to counter.

With his new taijutsu style selected, Naruto moved on to finding training methods to become a more effective ninja.

The first one he looked at wasn't a technique, but a method. Weights. This was something that the blonde had heard of, but had never thought to try because he'd still had his head in the clouds. But now, with the realization that his current level wasn't going to cut it anymore, Naruto decided that weights may just be a good idea.

And if weights seemed like a good idea, then the chakra control exercises he found were fantastic!

Naruto remembered how many more clones he was able to produce after learning the tree-walking technique, so he bet the water-walk and waterfall run would be huge helps too. It had amazed the blonde to see Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei duking it out atop the water back in Wave, so much that he hoped the silver-haired Jounin would teach it to him, and now here it was, ready for him to master.

Another chakra control exercise he saw was the leaf concentration that he'd done in the academy. This one the blonde skipped over though, because he felt there was nothing to gain from it, and so then moved on to the next scroll.

This went on for another half hour before Naruto decided that it would be a good idea to get some training in. So, he returned most of the scrolls he'd taken, and left with the few that he'd need to look at for reference.

 _ _'I'll pick up scrolls on kenjutsu tomorrow,'__ _N_ aruto reminded himself as he walked out the door _. 'S_ _ _ensei probably won't have us doing any real missions for a while, so I'll have time to work on my training. I can also pick up my weights too, because if this is anything like the tree-walking exercise, I'll be spending all day training.'__

As he moved through the busy streets Naruto wondered if it was okay to leave _Kubikiribocho_ alone in his apartment. Because while no one really bothered him, there had been a select few that took it upon themselves to trash his home when he was younger.

But then Naruto shook that thought from his mind; he was a ninja now, and no civilian was stupid enough to mess with him now. No matter how they felt about him.

It took him about another half hour to walk to the training ground Kakashi had taken them to for their bell test. Naruto had chosen this particular place to train because it had a large body of water for him to practice water-walking on, as well as trees to hone his tree-walking technique when he had time.

Once arriving the blonde was quick to get to work.

Stripping away his new shirt the blonde sat down on the grass and re-read the water-walking scroll. It explained that, to perform the technique, the user needed to emit a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet and then use the repellent force to walk across the water's surface. Naruto also noticed that the scroll mentions that walking on water is more difficult than trees because the amount of chakra needing to be emitted changes constantly.

After reading through the instructions, Naruto walked over towards the large lake. Closing his eyes and setting his hands into the 'ram' symbol, the blonde proceeded to take a single step out and place his foot on the surface of the water. When he went to put pressure on it...he sank.

Feeling his foot get enveloped in cold water Naruto pulled his leg back and grimaced. "Well damn, I guess this needs more chakra than the tree-walking. Alright then let's go for round two."

 ** _ **xXx**_**

An exhausted Naruto lay flat on his back under the late afternoon sky. He'd been practicing his new chakra control exercise for hours, and the sky was beginning to take on a fiery-orange hue.

An hour before, Naruto finally managed to keep himself above water for a grand total of three minutes. After his success the blonde took to using the next hour for physical workouts, so as to better condition his body.

 _ _'I'm beat,'__ the Nine-Tails _jinchuuriki_ thought to himself. _'_ _ _It must be this water-walking thing really is tough, because even walking up trees didn't wear me out this bad.'__

Deciding it was a good time to head home Naruto pushed himself up onto his hands, grabbed his discarded hoodie, and stood up. Swaying a little from the constant fluctuation of his chakra the blonde put his top back on, and then turned his head when he heard a noise.

Naruto sighed when he noticed a badly done disguise being held up against one of the trees.

"Konohamaru I know it's you; your stealth sucks remember?"

The tarp fell and revealed a young boy dressed in a yellow t-shirt, gray shorts, a blue scarf, and a pair of green goggles. "I'd expect nothing less from my greatest rival, way to see through my cover Naruto-niisan."

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but was there something you wanted Konohamaru, because I was just about to go eat and head home."

Konohamaru's onyx-black eyes widened before he asked, "Well can I come with you, please? I wanted to spar, but we can do this instead, and you can tell me about that mission you went on."

Naruto could see the hope in the younger boy's eyes. He really just wanted to spend time with the blonde; it didn't matter how. Deciding that it wouldn't be a problem Naruto told him, "Sure Konohamaru, let's go."

The youth jumped and cheered before following after his idol.

It was as they were navigating through the now-sparsely crowded streets that the young Sarutobi inquired about Naruto's new attire. "Hey boss, I like the new look, but what made you decide to give up your old jumpsuits?"

"Hmm? Well, it ties in with the mission I'm gonna tell you about, but let's just say that I realized how much more seriously I'll be taken if I'm not wearing such bright colors."

"But boss, that jumpsuit helped you stand out, it let everyone know that you were Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto chuckled lightly at his young friend's point of view; was that how _he_ was before his mission to Wave? Deciding to answer the boy's question Naruto said, "Exactly Konohamaru, it made me _stand_ _out_. Being a ninja I need to be able to blend in, be stealthy, and I can't do that if I'm wearing bright orange; like how you won't be very effective wearing yellow."

At that moment the blonde noticed they'd arrived at the ramen bar, so he and his shadow took their seats and ordered. Once that was done, Naruto turned to Konohamaru and began to re-tell his adventures in Wave country.

Throughout the story the young academy student flashed through multiple different emotions.

He thought about how cool it must have been to have gone beyond Konoha's walls, felt surprise to hear about how his idol had froze up against the Demon Brothers, and he also felt pride when Naruto told him of how he'd outsmarted a Jounin.

By the end of the tale their food had arrived, so both of them turned to enjoy it for a few bites before the younger boy said, "Wow Naruto-niisan, that sounds like it was dangerous. I can't believe you managed to get one over on a Jounin, you're amazing."

Naruto smiled, although with his new look you could only tell by his eyes unless looking closely, and said, "Thanks Konohamaru, but I didn't do it alone, although next time I'll be sure to be more helpful. That's what I was doing out at the training grounds, I need to get a lot stronger."

"Oh, hey, can we spar tomorrow? We can meet up where I found you earlier and you and I can duke it out. How's that sound?"

At first Naruto was going to agree just because he knew how much the younger boy missed him, but then he remembered that Konohamaru was an academy student...and tomorrow was Wednesday.

"Um, Konohamaru, don't you have class tomorrow?"

For a brief moment the youngest Sarutobi's face became a mask of sadness, but then it brightened as he replied, "Well yeah, I do, but I can skip it and we can hang out instead."

But the blonde Uzumaki was already shaking his head 'no'. When he saw the confused look on Konohamaru's face he elaborated. "Actually, I want you to go to class tomorrow, okay?"

"But Naruto-niisan, you used to skip class all the time, what's the big deal if I do it?"

"I skipped class because nobody cared if I went, it didn't matter whether I showed up or not because everybody was happier when _wasn't_ there. But you, you have people who want you to succeed Konohamaru, and if you skip school to hang out with me you'll be disappointing those people; me included. I know the classes can be boring, but they _are_ important, even if you don't think so right now. They lay the groundwork for you to become a talented shinobi, and I want you to have the best grip on it as possible. We'll spend time together on a day you don't have class okay?"

After listening to his idol's words, the younger boy could only nod in acceptance. "Alright boss, but only because you promised we could spar when I don't have to go to school."

After that the two ate the rest of their meal, telling jokes and stories, having a good time until it was time to go. Once he finished dropping off the brunette, Naruto made his way back to his apartment, and after making sure his sword was still under the floor boards, collapsed on his bed and fell asleep.

 ** _ **xXx**_**


	3. Chapter 3

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 **Ch.3- No such thing as 'too much hard work'**

 **xXx**

Naruto let out a grunt of effort as he pushed one of his clones away and then turned to block a downward slash from another to his right. His __Kubikiribocho__ clashed loudly with the one his clone possessed, and the muscles in his arms tensed to hold back the assault.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened at the feeling of being cleaved in half...before the body erupted into a cloud of smoke. Both clones searched frantically for the original, unfortunately one of them was too slow, and was soon beheaded by a spinning blade.

The surviving clone looked on as the giant zanbato was brought down by gravity and was buried in the earth.

"Oh come on, I swear I had it that time." Cried the original Naruto, who was hanging from the tree that he'd aimed the sword from.

Looking over to its creator, the clone said, "At least it got closer, a month ago you couldn't even throw it, now you only missed the tree by like ten feet."

Naruto called back his chakra and let himself land on the ground. Pulling his weapon from its earthy sheath he replied, "I suppose you're right, and I've managed to pull off a couple one-handed swings before needing to go back to two, so that's something right?"

After his clone nodded Naruto dismissed the doppelganger with a poof of smoke. With a sigh, the blonde replaced his blade in the strap across his shirtless back and stretched. It had been a little over three months since his return to the village and, if he did say so himself, he was making great strides in his training.

His physical ability had taken a satisfying jump, seeing as he'd taken to performing workouts multiple days a week, rather than just every once in a while with heavy weights. It was a routine that included multitude of body-weight exercises along with using free-weights. The blonde remembered waking up one morning and being surprised at the reflection that greeted him in the mirror. With the increased strength came increased speed as well, thanks to the ankle weights he wore. Naruto dared to think he was now among the fastest genin in his graduating class; behind only Sasuke and Kiba now.

But that gap would soon close as well.

Along with his physical increases came chakra strength too. Naruto could now create twice as many clones as before, and each could now create a small army of their own too. The blonde had also taken to learning how to master the __**kawarimi**__ , deciding that it was a move many ninja forgot about because of the fancier techniques, and yet it was just as effective and dangerous.

But Naruto didn't stop at just fine tuning an old trick, no, the young Uzumaki decided that adding a few new jutsu to his list couldn't hurt either; he chose to start with one he'd seen a few times...the __**Great-Fireball**__ _ _ **jutsu**__.

Naruto was surprised to find that it didn't take him very long to get the move down. Learning the technique's hand-signs took minutes, and while it took him about an hour to figure out the process to perform the technique, Naruto also learned that he needed to pump significantly less chakra into it for the move to be as effective than he'd thought was needed. The blonde would have to remember to ask why that was.

However, one technique wasn't enough for Naruto, so after learning the _**Great-Fireball**_ he decided it would be good to learn one of Zabuza's attacks; the __**Water-Dragon jutsu**__. Naruto went to Kakashi for this one, as he remembered the man copying the technique during his battle with Zabuza.

He was a little disappointed with what he learned however.

Kakashi, while not against training him in the technique seeing as he'd learned the __**Kage-bunshin**__ , made it a point to tell Naruto that until he got particularly skilled at it the blonde would once again need to carry around a water source for it to be effective.

While that little piece of news made Naruto upset for a while, he soon looked passed it. He had practiced with the __**Hidden-Mist jutsu**__ constantly, and now was able to perform the technique without using a water source; instead using the moisture in the air around him.

This gave Naruto hope that he could eventually do the same with the __**Water-Dragon**__. Then, during one of his trips to the library, he found a saving grace.

After team training with Kakashi-sensei Naruto was trying to figure out how he would carry around a water source big enough for his dragon to be effective. When he needed it for his mist it needed to only be a bottle of water, and then his chakra took care of the rest, but the dragon was a mass of water simply _laced_ with chakra to hold it together. Meaning that he would need a lot of water to make a battle-effective attack.

He found it in a water jutsu scroll; its name, the __**Exploding-Water Shockwave**__ _ **.**_

Naruto learned that this technique was exactly what he needed. The user shot copious amounts of water straight from their mouth in a vicious torrent, and even if the initial attack missed, you now had a small lake of water to perform other water jutsu with. And to top it off, the amount of water was relative to the amount of chakra the user had to spare. It was perfect.

That had been something Kakashi had informed him of after asking to learn the __**Water-Dragon**__. The silver-haired Jounin explained that, the higher a jutsu's level, the easier it would be for Naruto to perform it because he had the chakra to put into it. This also worked with the __**Hidden-Mist**__ __ _ _ **jutsu**__ __because the mist was laced heavily with the users chakra.

But it also had the draw back that, low-level jutsu would be harder to master without proper chakra control because he had to focus small amounts into them.

So, Naruto set out to learn the water-style technique, and then got to work on creating his dragons.

Now, three months later, Naruto felt good about his standing among the genin pack. While still not one of the smartest members, Naruto knew he was definitely one of the strongest.

"Although," he mumbled to himself as he walked towards his team's meeting spot, "I should definitely work out my brain too. Zabuza was pretty clever, and he also had knowledge of foreign ninja as well as techniques, I'll need to start checking out some reading material when I head to the library now too."

It was about fifteen minutes before Naruto made it to the bridge Kakashi-sensei had told them to meet him at. The man had mentioned wanting to do some sparring before he decided to make an announcement.

Once he arrived, the blonde noticed that his other two team-mate's had beaten him to the bridge.

Sasuke was leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, and Sakura was seated on the other end; she would periodically glance over at her crush with pink cheeks.

"Good morning Sakura-chan," Naruto greeted with a smile. Then, turning his eyes towards the other male he grumbled, "Hey Sasuke-teme."

While Sasuke only acknowledged his greeting with a grunt, Sakura matched him with her own 'good morning'. The pink-haired girl also took a moment to take in the sight of her blonde team-mate.

She noticed immediately how much more muscular he was than Sasuke, his lack of a shirt giving her a clear view of his growing pectoral muscles and his abs. There were no deeply cut lines, but the pinkette could see the strong, budding definition. The blonde's shoulders had also widened and become broader; no doubt to help shoulder the weight of the massive zanbato strapped to his back. Sakura could also see the strength in his calves thanks to the cargo shorts he wore. The blonde's face however was still hidden beneath a mask of bandages from the nose down.

But his physique wasn't all about Naruto that was changing.

Over the course of the month Sakura began to notice that the gap between Naruto and Sasuke was inching closed day by day; it had gotten to where the Uchiha was forced to use his __Sharingan__ if Naruto removed his weights. And even before then, Sasuke would tire far faster than Naruto, eventually giving him the lead.

This shocked Sakura because she always felt that Naruto was just as everyone always said; a no-talent loser. Someone who, no matter what, would never truly amount to much in terms of being a shinobi. And yet here he was giving the Rookie of the Year trouble!

 _ **"**_ _ ** _ **Cha! That's only because Kakashi-sensei spends more time watching over Naruto-baka than Sasuke-kun! He'd be ten times better than that blonde punk if sensei would train him more!"**_**_ Inner Sakura butted in.

But Sakura couldn't help agreeing with her. Their Jounin instructor _had_ been spending a lot of time with the former dead-last, so it stood to reason that the kid would improve in leaps and bounds. Maybe she should say something about that today?

"Hello there," came a voice from above. Three sets of eyes turned upward, and were greeted by the sight of Kakashi seated atop the archway at the end of the bridge.

"You're late again Kakashi-sensei, that's like the hundredth time!" Sakura shouted in irritation.

"Sorry about that," the Jounin smiled, "a black cat crossed my path and I had to retrace my steps."

"Liar!"

Naruto, wanting to get on with training, broke up the argument, "Alright, well, since you're here now how about we get this show on the road?"

"Eager aren't we Naruto? But that's fine, if you three will follow me, we'll begin today's training."

The foursome headed to their usual training ground. After arriving Kakashi said, "Okay, so, I want to see how far each of you has come in the time since we've been back. My hope is that our mission to Wave has helped open your eyes to the reality of being a ninja; so we're going to have some spars."

"But Kakashi-sensei, how is that any different from what we've __been__ doing?" asked Sakura. And she was right, they'd just sparred together two weeks ago.

A new voice came from behind the tree line."Simple Sakura, you'll be facing me."

All three genin looked over, and their eyes widened in surprise when Iruka-sensei walked out to greet them.

Naruto's face broke out into a cheerful expression at seeing one of his favorite people, "Hey Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here?"

As he turned his gaze to address the cheerful blonde, the scarred chunin was surprised at the image before him. __'Kakashi did mention that Naruto was different, but this is more than even I expected.__ _'_

Pushing those thoughts aside, and deciding to just being happy at seeing his favorite student again, Iruka smiled in return. "Kakashi asked me to come by and help him out in measuring your progress. I was more than happy to lend a hand, I can't wait to see how much you've grown Naruto."

"Alright you three, who wants to go first?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura turned to her instructor, her mouth hanging open and an incredulous look on her face, "B-But Sensei, Iruka-sensei is a chunin, how do you expect us to win against him?"

"I don't Sakura, he still has years of experience over you three, but if you've used this past month correctly then you'll at least stand a chance. Oh, and thank you for volunteering to go first Sakura."

The young kunoichi just let her mouth drop to the floor, before pulling herself together, and walking out onto the training field across from Iruka.

As she made her way over the emerald-eyed girl thought over how she spent her time after the Wave mission. When not watching Naruto and Sasuke train under Kakashi-sensei or doing a mission with the team, Sakura usually read up on various ninjutsu, or genjutsu, and learning how to defeat each one. She had also read how to escape certain traps as well as how to set them up.

Unfortunately, the pink-haired kunoichi didn't take any time to practice her taijutsu or actually learn any of the ninjutsu she studied.

 _ _'I just hope I can last.'__ Sakura thought as she entered into the basic academy stance.

Across from her Iruka had to keep from shaking his head in disappointment. The academy style was meant solely for those who had not found a style of their own yet. Many ninja, after receiving their headband, went straight to the library and found a new one; one without so many holes.

 _ _'It seems Sakura may not be taking this as seriously as I'd hoped she would. I guess we'll just have to see.__ _'_ The chunin thought as Kakashi began the match.

Sakura opened with a textbook maneuver; throwing kunai to force the enemy off their feet. Following this, Sakura created three clones of herself and rushed forward. However, instead of avoiding the kunai, Iruka simply pulled out one of his own, and deflected the knifes. This left him on guard for his opponent's attack.

Sakura tried to shake him up with her clones, but the chunin could see which copies of the girl made no presence in the grass, allowing him to ignore the leg sweep and roundhouse that came at him while blocking the jab to his stomach.

With her strategy ignored and her attack blocked Sakura had to think fast. She pulled another kunai from her holster and took a slash at Iruka...only for him to grab that wrist as well. The next thing Sakura knew was pain. Her former instructor headbutted her, and with him wearing his forehead protector and her's tied like a bandanna, Sakura immediately went weak in the knees from the impact.

Iruka let go of the kunoichi's wrists and watched as she sank to the ground, her hands swiftly coming up to try and sooth the aching in her forehead. With a sigh, the scarred ninja turned to his superior and said, "Kakashi what is this? She's been your student for about half a year, why is she still using the academy taijutsu and tactics?"

"I've told her already what she needs to work on Iruka, but it seems she hasn't listened to a word I've said, I'll be sure to spend some time whipping her into shape. Hopefully you'll be more impressed with my other two students." Kakashi replied.

Sakura was quickly escorted off the field and to the sidelines while Sasuke took center stage. The Uchiha entered into the basic stance of his family's taijutsu and waited for Iruka to come to _him_.

Iruka knew this was Sasuke's preferred method of fighting, because it allowed the younger ninja to read his opponent's moves and then react to them accordingly. This way, Sasuke could measure their speed, strength, and fighting style all in one.

 _ _'Well then, if it's me who's supposed to make the first move, might as well make it a good one.'__

The pony-tailed chunin disappeared in a burst of speed and re-appeared to Sasuke's right. Iruka slid his foot behind the Uchiha's leg and then drove his arm forward in a close-line to the throat. With his leg behind Sasuke's, the raven-haired youth tumbled backwards, but managed to catch himself and perform a leg sweep.

Iruka jumped over the counter-attack and then flipped backwards out of Sasuke's range. But Sasuke wasn't about to let him run away. The younger ninja rushed after his superior and attacked with a roundhouse kick. Iruka blocked it with his forearm and pushed it away, before retaliating with a right-hook.

Sasuke saw it coming but couldn't move fast enough to dodge it, so he let it hit, and then used the momentum to carry into an elbow attack that landed squarely in his opponent's chest. The Uchiha followed this up with a scissor-kick to the chin.

However, Iruka recovered faster than he'd expected, and managed to grab a hold of Sasuke's ankles, from there the chunin lifted Sasuke higher and finally slammed his back into the ground.

Sasuke coughed up a bit of bile due to the harsh impact, but quickly pushed passed the pain and rolled backwards out of Iruka's reach. Once a sufficient distance away, the young ninja ran through a series of hand-signs before calling out his attack, " _ _ **Fire-style: Great-Fireball jutsu**__ _ **!**_ "

After Iruka easily avoided it using the replacement technique Kakashi called for a stop to the match.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "I could still fight, and I hadn't even used my __Sharingan__ yet."

Kakashi just smiled and replied, "I know, but remember, these spars are just so I can see how you've all progressed. And you've done very well Sasuke, managing to hold your own against a chunin after being a genin for such a short time is no easy task."

Sasuke just grunted and moved to the sidelines next to Sakura, who was still nursing her wound.

However, this didn't stop the girl from congratulating her crush, "Way to go Sasuke-kun, you were amazing against Iruka-sensei. If you had used your __Sharingan__ I think you may have beaten him."

But the raven-haired youth ignored her, choosing instead to focus on the next match. Naruto had gotten significantly stronger over the last few months, and Sasuke wanted to know how the blonde would stack up against a chunin now.

Would he do better than Sasuke, or worse?

Naruto pulled __Kubikiribocho__ from his back, and then removed the ankle weights and wrist bands from his body as well. While he wanted to show-off his skills in kenjutsu, the blonde had decided that against his old teacher such a thing was unnecessary.

Sasuke on the other hand had a different thought.

"What's the matter loser, can't swing the sword? What's the point of carrying it around if you don't use it?"

But Naruto just ignored the smart-mouthed Uchiha. It was true though, Sasuke had never seen Naruto wield the zanbato since he'd brought it home, but that was because Naruto decided that during spars against a fellow team-mate it was dangerous. The blonde became completely serious when he unsheathed his sword, and he didn't think Sasuke would be able to handle him then.

So Naruto just moved to his side of the field and entered into his opening stance.

Iruka was interested in the stance his former student took up. His feet were shoulder-width apart, knees bent, and his left arm was held to the side at a ninety-degree angle; his hand balled up into a fist. The blonde's right arm was held up and bent inwards, the forearm blocking his face, while the hand was formed like a claw.*

 _ _'The King's Fist, an appropriate taijutsu for Naruto. Let's see how far he's come with it.'__ Iruka thought with pride...before being shocked as Naruto disappeared from view.

"What the—ah!" The chunin cried out as his legs were swept from under him from behind. While managing to catch himself, the man's attempt at a retaliation kick failed, as Naruto had expected it and moved away beforehand.

Iruka righted himself and kept his eyes trained on the blonde before him. He couldn't afford to let his guard down it seemed. Deciding to take a page from Sasuke's book Iruka weaved through the same hand-signs, and sent a decently-sized fireball towards Naruto.

However, where the chunin expected him to dodge it, and set himself up to be attacked, Naruto simply weaved through his own set of signs before using his __**Exploding-Water Shockwave**__ to punch a hole straight through the fire. The speedy torrent hit Iruka dead-center in the chest, but the man's body was soon replaced by a log.

Naruto canceled his attack, and strained his already impressive hearing to catch any clue to his opponent's next move. It payed off, as the blonde threw up his forearms in an cross-block to defend against a hammer-fist from above. Afterwards, the Uzumaki countered with a spartan-kick that caught the unguarded chunin and sent him flying.

But Iruka wasn't a chunin for nothing, the man quickly righted himself and was prepared for is former students next move. It came in the form of a trio of __**Kage-bunshin**__ _ **.**_ The three Naruto's came at him in a triangle formation; as he jumped over one's leg sweep, the second was there to hit him with a roundhouse. As he blocked the kick in mid-air Iruka was left open to the third kick that was aimed at his back.

The last clone sent him flying forward before they all dispelled, this made Iruka an easy target for Naruto's next attack; the __**Water-Dragon jutsu**__. With the field flooded with water from his previous attack the blonde had plenty to work with. Next thing Iruka knew, he was being hit head-on by a B-ranked ninjutsu.***

"Alright, I think that's enough Naruto, good job." Kakashi called out, putting an end to the spars.

Naruto quickly strode over to help Iruka up off the ground. "You've definitely come a long way from being the knucklehead class-clown Naruto." The academy instructor praised.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei, it really means a lot to hear you say that."

"When did you learn such an advanced technique like the __**Water-Dragon**__?" Iruka asked in wonder.

Naruto's eyes shined happily as he replied, "Kakashi-sensei taught it to me, pretty cool huh?"

At this point Kakashi cut in, "Yes, yes, we get it Naruto you're becoming a force to be reckoned with. Now, Iruka, what's your opinion of them?"

The scarred chunin swept his eyes over Team 7 before turning back to Kakashi. Letting out a sigh Iruka said, "I really wish you'd wait another year before doing this Kakashi, but, I can't disagree that this will be good for them. It'll give them a good idea of what they're up against concerning the other village's ninja, as well as tell them where they stand among their fellow Leaf shinobi...I concede."

"Kakashi-sensei, what's he talking about?" Asked Sakura.

The Jounin turned to the kunoichi of his team and answered, "What he's talking about Sakura, is how I've recently nominated you three for the chunin exams."

All three genin looked back and forth between the two older ninja before Naruto said, "Well now, this will be fun, and I'll even get to see how I stack up against the competition. Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

"You're welcome Naruto, now, here's your registration forms. The exams will begin five day from now at 3:00pm sharp, you are to go to the academy building and wait in room 301 for your first proctor." Kakashi instructed as he handed each genin a small form to fill out.

With that, the silver-haired Jounin bid his students good luck and left via __**Shunshin**__. Iruka quickly followed, mentioning how he'd only asked his substitute teacher to stay half the day.

Once the three were alone Sasuke sighed and made to leave, throwing over his shoulder, "I'll see you guys at the academy; don't be late."

Sakura, seeing the Uchiha leaving, called out. "Hey wait, Sasuke-kun, why don't you and I spend the five days together? You know, do something _personal_ to help build our teamwork?"

The Uchiha heir stopped and looked over his shoulder. Sakura was immediately put-off by the look in his onyx-black eyes, and it got worse as he opened his mouth.

"Or how about you use the five days to work on your skills? Even Iruka-sensei said you needed help, so instead of flirting and primping yourself up to look pretty, why don't you learn a new taijutsu form and a couple of genjutsu; you know, things to help make the team stronger."

With his piece said and done Sasuke turned and continued his walk home, caring nothing for the girl he just left torn apart in the field.

Sakura's head and shoulders slumped in defeat at her love interest's words. Naruto, seeing this, made an attempt to cheer his crush up. "Hey, Sakura-chan, why don't you and I train together? Forget about Sasuke-teme, he's not even that tough, heck _I_ can already beat him. If we train together you'll get stronger in no time."

Her response was nothing like he'd expected. Sakura began to tremble, and while at first he thought she was going to cry, Naruto was quickly on-guard when the pink-haired kunoichi turned to him with anger in her eyes.

"Why can't you just back off Naruto-baka!? I _don't_ wanna hang out with you; I've lost count of how many times we've been through this. Why can't you just listen?"

Naruto, for his part, couldn't help feeling hurt. Sure she had said something along those lines, but the blonde didn't think she really meant them. But now, for the second time, Sakura was telling him to really get lost.

Saying that she'd rather be alone without Sasuke than give him a chance.

The blonde genin's ocean-blue eyes lowered in resignation. He felt there wasn't even a point in asking if she thought of him as a friend, seeing as a friend would have let him down a lot more gently than Sakura had.

Finally, Naruto managed to pick his eyes up and look at the pink-haired girl that still stood before him, "Okay Sakura, I'm sorry, I hear you and I-I won't bother you anymore. I'll see you at the exams."

And with that, the blonde made his own exit, leaving Sakura to also walk home alone...and his dream of them together to fade into the wind.

 **xXx**

 _A/N: And there you have it, the end of Naruto's feelings for Sakura. Next chapter will introduce Gaara and his siblings, as well as all the other rookies._

 _*= Think of Vegeta's fighting stance the very first time he fought Goku._

 _***=First, about Iruka and Naruto's fight, Naruto did so well because Iruka is a chunin that works at the academy; he's not out in the field very much getting experience and getting stronger. Now, I'm sure he trains to stay at his current level, but, I feel that he's on the lower spectrum of the chunin scale. While I don't like Sasuke, I personally believe he could have taken Iruka after obtaining his Sharingan._

 _Anyway, I hope this chapter was enjoyable and you guys review and let me know what you think._


	4. Chapter 4

**I didn't put a disclaimer in the beginning, but I dunno, do I actually have to do it?**

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 **Ch.4- Meetings, Greetings, and New Beginnings**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto's eyes opened slowly as the morning sun peeked through his window. As he sat up and stretched the blonde genin's fuzzy mind slowly rebooted from being sent into hibernation mode during the night; that's when he recalled the day before.

He was entering the chunin exams in four days!

Immediately after this thought, Naruto's unwrapped face broke into a foxy grin, and the young Uzumaki jumped out of bed in excitement. There were sure to be lots of other genin taking the test, and from what Iruka-sensei said, many of them would be from foreign villages. This meant Naruto would already be able to start making a name for himself!

 _ _'This is gonna be great,'__ he thought as he made himself a bowl of cereal.

As he ate, the blonde thought about how he should spend the next four days. While at first he thought of training, the young ninja quickly discarded that thought. It wouldn't do for someone to see his skills before the test. Then he thought about how he'd made it a point to learn more general knowledge, and decided to spend his time at the library.

With his game plan set, Naruto finished his cereal and got ready for the day. Once his morning routine was finished the blonde set about getting dressed, he slipped on a pair of cargoes and a hooded vest, before attaching his weights and weapon pouches, and finishing it off by re-wrapping his face and tying on his forehead protector.

After a look in the mirror, and with a look of satisfaction at what he saw, Naruto exited his home. Once again leaving his zanbato, so as not to give anything away to the competition.

As he walked through the streets Naruto immediately took notice of some of the foreigners that had already entered the village. But it wasn't hard, they had different symbols on their headbands than him after all.

Many of them looked like nothing special, just your run of the mill genin, but one person did catch his attention.

A girl with shocking red hair.

This girl interested Naruto because he'd never seen anyone with that color hair before. Sure, Sakura's was pink, but so was her mom's. Red was a hair color that Naruto hadn't ever seen on anyone in his village before.

Taking a closer look at the girl before he lost sight of her, Naruto took in the glasses on her face, and her unusual eye color as well. The blonde had to admit; the girl was kind of cute.

The girl must have felt his eyes on her though, because she began to turn her head, which forced Naruto to look away. Lest he be caught staring and cause a scene. After he turned a corner, and was out of sight, the blonde returned to his journey and headed for the library. His mind stuck on what kind of ninja would have red hair.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

"How can there be nothing!? Are ninja with red hair really not that weird?" Naruto groaned as he thumbed through his _fifth ai_ sle of books and scrolls. He'd been there for almost an hour and still hadn't found anything. Maybe red hair just wasn't common in his village, but was everywhere else.

As he was about to slip his latest pick back into its spot on the shelf a flash of purple caught his eye and he turned to look; he was met with the sight of Anko entering the aisle he was in.

In her own hands was a blue book, and she too had a look of annoyance on her face.

"Couldn't find what you were looking for either?" he asked in an attempt to make conversation.

With her eyes downcast in disappointment Anko didn't see who had been speaking, and when she turned them up to make sure the person was talking to her, she greeted with a sight she hadn't expected.

 _ _'I recognize the voice, but not the face, so is this what the Kyubi jinchuuriki really looks like?'__ she thought to herself. As she took him in, Anko realized that the young teen in front of her wasn't at all what she'd been expecting. She'd heard the tales of his pranks from other members of the T&I department, and while she found many of them funny, the Special-Jounin knew a cry for attention when she saw one.

But this genin didn't look like the type to care about such things.

Anko took in how the clothes looked on the now blonde-haired ninja. The vest didn't hang loosely from his frame, instead it stretched a little under his athletic torso. His arms showed clear signs of growing muscle, and his shoulders were strong. Looking up at his face, the kunoichi had to force herself not to laugh; was he taking after Kakashi now?

After her quick observation Anko decided to reply, "No, unfortunately I didn't. And from the sound of it neither did you."

Shaking his head Naruto answered, "Nope. So what were you trying to find?"

"If there was anywhere else besides Konoha that sold goma dango, but there isn't." Anko replied, her shoulders slumping in discouragement.

Naruto stared at her for a moment, as if expecting her to suddenly tell him she was kidding, but when she didn't he asked, "...Are you serious?"

The annoyed look he got was more than enough proof. Anko held up the book she'd been reading, showing it to be an international food journal, and said, "Of course I am. When I'm out on a mission there's always a chance I'll end up slumming it in another village, so it'd be nice to know I can still have my favorite food away from home. _But I'm finding out nobody except Konoha makes it_." She growled at the end, folding her arms in frustration.

Naruto didn't know what to make of the sight. Here was a woman, a kunoichi no less, that looked to be a few years older than him...pouting like a child over sweets. He couldn't hold back a small laugh.

They stood close enough though that Anko could hear it. Narrowing her eyes she challenged, "Oh yeah, well, what was so important that y _ou_ couldn't find?"

This got Naruto to immediately stop laughing. The blonde knew that his quest was just as silly, and to reveal it would be embarrassing after laughing at Anko's misfortune. However, the choice was taken from him, when Anko simply plucked the yellow book from his hand and read the cover.

It was deathly quiet, and Naruto waited for the inevitable jibe...but it didn't come. Instead, a teasing grin etched its way onto Anko's face as she asked, "Sooo, interested in kunoichi with odd hair colors huh? I guess I left a better impression on you than I thought back at the clothing store huh?"

Whatever Naruto had been expecting, this wasn't it. As the Special-Jounin held up the book, showing off the title of ' _Legendary_ _ _Kunoichi with strange hair colors'__ , Naruto's face lit up like a cherry.

"What, no, it's nothing like that okay!? I saw this girl from another village, and she had red hair, so I wondered if that meant anything special. That's all, really." The flustered young teen explained.

At this Anko's playful smile broke down into a pout. "What, am I not good enough for you gaki?"

She couldn't really see it, but Anko was sure the blonde's mouth was wide open. Unable to to keep up her charade the Special-Jounin broke out into laughter as she slipped the two books back onto the shelf, not caring if they were in the right spot.

The older woman's laughter broke Naruto out of his stupor, and then _he_ pouted as he grumbled quietly to himself. After getting a hold of herself Anko patted the younger ninja on the shoulder and said, "Aw don't get all upset on me now gaki, I wasn't serious. Besides,there's a height requirement for anyone who wants to make a move on me ."

Hearing the barb at his lower-than-average height Naruto's expression swiftly molded into one of fierce annoyance. "Yeah, well, you're too tall...wait," the blonde stopped, suddenly remembering something, "How did you know it was me at the store?"

Anko met his curious stare with a smirk as she answered.

"My best friend is the village's leading expert in genjutsu, she spotted your __**henge**__ from across the store. I suspected something, and when I asked her about, Kurenai told me it was you; apparently you have an easily recognizable chakra signature."

That last part interested the blonde genin. _'Chakra signature'_ , he thought.

What was that?

But before he could ask her, Anko looked at the watch on her wrist and said, "And speaking of Nai-chan I'm supposed to meet her after her team's meeting. I'd better go now, she's such a pain when I'm late, see ya later gaki."

With that the purple-haired woman left in a swirl of smoke, leaving Naruto alone. While slightly discouraged he couldn't ask about chakra signatures, the young Uzumaki quickly remembered he was in a library, and headed off to the shinobi section to find a scroll on the subject.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

As Naruto studied up on his newest interest, Anko appeared along the branch of a tree that overlooked one of the Leaf's many training grounds. This one in particular was being used by the members of Team 8.

Standing off to the side was her friend, Kurenai Yuhi. The older woman's attention was concentrated on the two students that were currently sparring.

One was a young male. He wore a gray, hooded jacket with fur lining all its openings. He was a tanned young teen, with feral features, and triangular tattoos on his cheeks. This young genin was Kiba Inuzuka.

Kiba's opponent was a young girl.

She too wore a hoodie, though her's was a cream color and significantly baggier than her male team-mate's. The young kunoichi had a head of dark, blue-tinted hair and fair skin. But her most recognizable feature were her eyes. This young girl had a pair of pupil-less, lavender eyes. She was Hinata Hyuga.

At the moment Kiba and Hinata were each attempting to overcome the others defenses, though Anko could see that it was only Kiba who was really trying. So, while Hinata was doing a good job of holding her own, she was slowly being defeated.

Anko shook her head, not able to understand why such a promising kunoichi was so hesitant. However, as she turned her attention back to Kurenai, to see her reactions, Anko wound up locking gazes with her fellow Jounin.

Smiling, the purple-haired woman dismounted her perch, and walked over to Kurenai. Throwing up her hand in greeting she said, "Hey, how's the training going?"

The red-eyed Jounin nodded in greeting, before turning her attention back to her students and asking, "Why don't you tell me? You were just watching them."

"Yeah, you noticed that huh? Anyway, what's the deal with your kunoichi, she's barely even trying against her team-mate. Is she sick or something?"

Kurenai shook her head, letting out a sigh as she replied, "No, that's Hinata. She's not very confident in her ability to be a ninja, and unfortunately it's to the point where she second-guesses every move she makes. Resulting in what you see here."

As she explained it, Hinata was being brought down by her enthusiastic opponent, and soon found herself lying flat on her back. Having had her legs knocked from under her.

With that Kurenai called out, "Okay you two, that's enough for today, you guys can head home. Be sure to come to the meeting on time tomorrow; I have something important I want to discuss with you."

As they were leaving Kiba eyed his Jounin instructor and asked, "What about Shino, he couldn't make it to practice today, how's he gonna know?"

"When Shino informed me he wouldn't be here today I explained that we'd be meeting tomorrow as well, and I expressed the same desire for promptness as I did with you. What I have to say tomorrow i _s_ important."

The explanation being good enough for him, Kiba exited the clearing, after waving good-bye to his female team-mate. Hinata, muttering a quiet good-bye of her own, also left the training ground.

Once the genin were out of ear-shot, Anko looked over to her friend and asked, "So you're really gonna enter them into the chunin exams?"

As the two women made their own exit Kurenai replied, "Yes. They may just be rookies, but I have faith in their ability to succeed, each of them shows great promise as a shinobi and I truly believe they have a chance of doing well in the exams."

"And how do think they'll do against the other rookie teams?" Anko asked, her mind conjuring the image of the blonde she'd just left.

"There aren't too many I'm worried about. Aside from Sasuke Uchiha and Shikamaru Nara I don't think my team has any real competition. The other six just aren't up to par yet; I really can't believe Asuma and Kakashi think their teams are ready for the exams."

Anko eyes the elder kunoichi curiously, as the woman's slightly arrogant tone was unlike her, but decided the woman knew her students better than the Special-Jounin and just had faith in their abilities.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto walked through the streets of his village, not really having a destination in mind, merely enjoying the lively activity and the nice weather. He'd spent a few hours at the library, studying up on chakra signatures, and then researching the different hidden villages. While Konoha's information wasn't very extensive, those places not being very open with their information, Naruto did learn a little bit about the different types of ninja there were in the world.

While some of it had been boring, the blonde never having been one for book learning, Naruto forced himself to concentrate on the pages and the information written on them. No one would take an uneducated shinobi seriously, and the blonde couldn't afford anything less.

Now, with the studying put on hold, Naruto just let himself wander.

It was as he walked through one of the empty streets that Naruto heard a shuffling sound behind him. The spiky-haired ninja looked back...and was met with the sight of a crudely done disguise in the shape of a rock. A __square__ rock.

Letting out a disheartened sigh Naruto called out, "Really Konohamaru? When have you ever seen a rock shaped like a perfect square...especially one with _eye holes_?"

"You always manage to see through my disguise Naruto-niisan." a voice called out under said garb, before the box erupted into a large cloud of colored smoke, revealing three young academy students.

The first was Konohamaru, he'd gotten rid of his long scarf, and wore a dark-green shirt with brown shorts. A vast improvement from his yellow and white attire. To the boy's right was a young girl, she had her orange hair done up into two very large pigtails. She wore a red t-shirt and brown shorts. Standing at Konohamaru's left was another young boy; this one also a brunette. He wore glasses, a baggy, long-sleeved blue shirt and khaki shorts...he also had a runny nose. All three wore the goggles he once wore before becoming a genin.

Naruto watched as the three youngsters introduced themselves as the Konohamaru Ninja Squad.

"So these are your friends from the academy Kon?" Naruto asked as he eyed the two other children.

"Yep, I was talking to Iruka-sensei about the spar we had the other day and they over heard. Moegi and Udon asked if I could introduce you to them after hearing how strong you are."

Both of the aforementioned academy students nodded excitedly in agreement before the girl, Moegi, asked, "Is it true you're training Konohamaru outside of school Naruto-san?"

"When I get the chance, yes. I want to make sure Konohamaru gets as much help as possible so that when he becomes a genin I won't have to worry about him out in the field." Naruto replied.

"So does that mean you'll teach us?" Udon asked hopefully. But before Naruto could answer, an undignified snort interrupted his train of thought.

" _ _This__ is what you do in your free time, hang around with little kids?"

The small group turned their attention to the voice that had spoken, and were greeted with the sight of Sakura walking towards them. As the pinkette approached, Naruto had to chomp down his usual greeting, and instead asked, "And what if it is? What's wrong with helping others get stronger Sakura?"

 _ _'I offered the same to you, but you just threw it back in my face,__ _'_ he thought sadly.

"What's wrong is you should be preparing for the chunin exams, not playing games Naruto-baka, I don't want you holding us back during the test."

Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion, "But Sakura-ch...Sakura, Iruka-sensei said _you_ were the one who needed help. He was more than impressed with my performance remember."

While Naruto hadn't meant for it to be taken as an insult, merely a pointing out of fact, Sakura took it as a barb at her skills. And coming from Naruto, the class clown, that was unacceptable.

"What do you know dead-last, if you weren't always pestering Kakashi-sensei then maybe he'd have more time to train me and Sasuke-kun!"

But before Naruto could respond, Konohamaru whined, "Man Naruto-niisan, is this what you have to put up with all the time? I think I'm gonna blow an ear drum if she keeps this up; what is she, some kind of harpy?"

Naruto never got to ask where the young Sarutobi even heard that word before, because Sakura's anger sky rocketed at the insult. "What did you just call me!?"

 ** _ **'Cha! I'm gonna pound that little runt!'**_** Inner Sakura raged along with her. As she made a move to grab Konohamaru the young boy managed to slip away, and then he turned and ran, with Sakura hot on his heels.

Naruto just sighed and, looking to the remaining two kids, said, "Well, we should probably go after them. C'mon, and if she hasn't killed him I'll spend some time helping you guys train."

It wasn't long before they found the two, but when they did, Naruto's eyes immediately narrowed in anger.

After turning the fence corner, Naruto and the two children found Konohamaru being held up by the throat; while Sakura stood off to the side trying to stammer out an apology.

Naruto took in the guy holding his friend hostage, but wasn't very impressed with what he saw. The guy, obviously a ninja, was tall. He was dressed in a black, baggy suit that covered his entire body and his face was lined with purple paint. On the guy's back was a wrapped bundle of cloth that had, what looked to be, a tuft of brown hair sticking out from the top.

"Put him down Kankuro, I don't feel like getting into trouble just because of your stupidity." A female voice said. This drew Naruto's attention to a girl that stood behind the now named Kankuro.

She, like Anko, wore a full-body mesh suit under her clothes; which consisted of a lavender battle dress, tied at the waist by a crimson sash. Naruto noticed that she too was a blonde, though her's was sandy, and pulled back into four spiked pig-tails. On her back she carried a giant battle fan.

Konohamaru's cry of pain drew his attention back, and re-ignited his anger as he shouted, "You should listen to your team-mate's advice, because if you don't let him go, there's gonna be trouble."

The genin known as Kankuro turned his beady eyes in Naruto's direction, and with a sneer, said, "Oh great, more brats. This village must be full of em'. Look, this little pipsqueak ran into me, and he hasn't apologized for it so I'm a little mad. I wouldn't suggest making it worse."

"I'm giving you one last warning; let him go." Naruto replied, his eyes hardening like ice.

And Kankuro did just that...only to reach behind him and pull his package from its place, and slam it on the ground.

"You know what I think? You all need a lesson in manners." He growled.

The blonde kunoichi looked like she was about to say something, but before she could voice her words, Naruto vanished.

"Well you know what __I__ think? I think you'd better think twice before challenging an opponent that's faster than you." A voice whispered from behind Kankuro, causing the puppet user's eyes to widen in shock. He whipped around, trying to catch his fellow genin with his elbow, but the attack missed and he was sent tumbling back after a palm strike to the chest.

From his place on the ground Kankuro seethed. Who the hell did this punk think he was? "You surprised me there, I didn't think you'd be that fast, but next time I won't be caught off-guard—ouch!" As he spoke Kankuro made to get back on his feet, but a pebble to the side of the head stopped him, and drew everyone's attention to a tree beyond the fence.

Sitting up on one of the branches was Sasuke, juggling another pebble in his hand.

"You guys are a long way from home, and __way__ out of your league." The last Uchiha said before crushing the pebble in his hand.

Looking between the two Leaf shinobi, the sandy-blonde smirked to herself, _ _'Well, if nothing else, at least the Leaf village guys are better looking than the one's back home.'__ But the smirk soon turned to a look of fear as she sensed... _him_.

"Kankuro, get up and stop embarrassing yourself, you're a disgrace to our village." A raspy voice echoed through the area.

While Sakura and the children couldn't seem to find the person, Naruto followed the two foreign shinobi's line of sight to the tree that Sasuke was seated on, and couldn't hold back his surprised look at what he saw.

A red-head stood, upside down, along the branch above Sasuke; who from the looks of it didn't sense the boy's presence until just that moment. The red-head was dressed in a brown and black attire, with a mesh shirt underneath, and a large gourd strapped to his back.

"G-Gaara, hey, it's not what it looks like. T-They started it-" Kankuro tried to explain, but the boy, now named Gaara, cut him off.

"Shut up...or I'll kill you."

The boy's response shocked the Leaf ninja; he'd kill his own team-mate just for talking!? Who the heck was this guy?

But Naruto never took his eyes off him, and followed the other boy's moves as he vanished from the tree and moved to the ground via _**sand-**_ _ **shunshin**_. In the light, Naruto was able to make out the kanji for 'love' tattooed on Gaara's forehead.

"I'm sorry for my team-mate's idiotic behavior," Gaara said, braking Naruto from his observation, "I warned them about acting foolish while visiting your village, but it seems they didn't take me seriously. I'll correct that behavior soon, and there won't be any more problems, I assure you."

Wary of the trio, but not wishing any harm to come to the two troublemakers, Naruto said, "No, it's aright. We should have paid more attention to where we were going, it's us who should be apologizing..."

It seems Gaara could read his mind, because his next words were an introduction, "My name is Sabaku no Gaara, and you?"

"Naruto Uzumaki; I take it you're here for the chunin exams then?"

"Yes, and I look forward to facing you in them, Naruto Uzumaki." With that, Gaara turned and began walking away, giving a non-verbal signal to his team-mate's to do the same.

What nobody noticed, was the trio staring down at them from atop a roof nearby.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The next four days passed much the same for Naruto as the first; only significantly less drama. He woke up, went about his morning routine, then headed to the library to do some studying. Although he knew he'd have to look over certain subjects again in order to really remember them, like the different poisonous plants that grew around the continent, others he managed to pick up right away; like the basic knowledge of the __Byakugan__ , the Hyuga clan's dojutsu.

However, with his inability to train, Naruto became anxious as the days passed. The blonde practically bounced in his seat while eating as he thought about the chunin exams.

Then, finally, the day came.

On the morning of the chunin exams Naruto leaped out of bed with a loud cheer. "Yes, finally, the chunin exams are here! I finally get to show everyone what I'm made of..." The blonde's excitement was quieted when his eyes landed on __Kubikiribocho__ _;_ which he'd settled next to his bedroom door the night before.

Seeing the large zanbato reminded Naruto about his plan, and sobered him up as the excitement was replaced with the feeling of responsibility. The exams were more than just a chance to advance, they were his first step towards honoring Zabuza.

 _He_ was the Demon of the Mist now, and it was time everybody knew it.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: Anyway, the next chapter should definitely be longer because it will have the fight with Lee and Sasuke, the rookies meeting up and seeing the new Naruto, Kabuto and his card, as well as Ibiki introducing the first test.**_**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: There will be a discrepancy in the chapter numbers after this one because I came back and combined five and six together. The number issue I hope doesn't bother any of my new readers, as the sequence of events still stays the same. I did this because originally I split the first exam into two chapters, and it just always bugged me afterwards.**

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 _ _ **Ch.5- Chunin exams part 1: genin face-off and Ibiki's mind games**__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto stared into his reflections eyes as he wrapped the bandages around his face. Sapphire eyes were hardened with purpose, and his muscles twitched in anticipation of the obstacles to come. Once Naruto was finished with his face he looked over the rest of his uniform, making sure he was all set to go.

His hooded vest was clean and zipped to the top. From the waist down, his cargo's were fitted, and the weapon pouches were filled to the brim. The blonde's weights being left forgotten, as he wanted to be ready for anything that day. Finally, Naruto looked behind him using the mirror, taking in the sight of his zanbato, and nodded.

It was time to go.

As he roof-hopped over the streets of Konoha Naruto thought about the competition he'd be facing. The blonde knew for sure at some point he'd some face-to-face with Gaara.

The red-head just seemed like the type who wouldn't be defeated easily.

There was also the other genin from his own village, the other rookies if they competed, and even the possibility of facing his own team. All of this made Naruto anxious, but the blonde pushed that down as he neared the academy.

After hopping down from his last roof Naruto jogged over to where he saw Sasuke standing by a tree. The two boys shared a nod of acknowledgment, but otherwise remained still, waiting for their third squad-mate.

They weren't made to wait long, as Sakura's vibrant pink hair soon came into sight.

"Are we all ready?" Sasuke asked, "Because once we go through those doors there won't be any turning back."

"You bet Sasuke-kun, we're gonna ace these exams," Sakura replied confidently. Inside her mind, the girl's inner-self was pumping her fist, daring the other genin to bring it.

Naruto just gave his fellow genin an affirmative nod to show he was ready. And with all three of them set to go, Team 7 made their way into the academy building.

 _ _'And so it begins,'__ the blonde thought as he entered the air-conditioned school. They made it up two flights of stairs before the trio came across an odd sight. A large number of genin were grouped around a single doorway, the door was being guarded by two older looking genin.

"Hey come on, let us in, we're trying to take the chunin exams," a young girl with buns in her brunette hair pleaded to the guards.

One of the them, a guy with squinted eyes, scoffed and replied, "Feh, you all should be thanking us. We've tried taking the chunin exams multiple times, and even we haven't succeeded yet, you all should just go home and wait till you're older."

Naruto watched the exchange of words with confusion; the sign above the door said 301...but they'd only gone up two flights of stairs. Naruto knew the academy building like the back of his hand, as he'd spent a great deal of his life in it, and he'd pulled a lot of pranks here, so it was only natural.

The thing that confused him was, _why_ had they done this?

"Hey," Sasuke called out, breaking Naruto out of his train of thought, "take down the genjutsu already. You're not fooling anyone. We've only gone up two sets of stairs, so how can we be on the third floor?"

Naruto watched as all the other genin realized that what the Uchiha heir said was true. The blonde did too, but then he thought about why they all would have been tricked. It was a test. Those who couldn't see passed such a simple ruse wouldn't even deserve to take the actual exam. It all made sense.

 _ _'But I didn't figure that out until now; I wonder how long some of the other teams were standing here.'__

Suddenly Naruto felt a strong breeze hit him in the face, and the blonde shook his head to pull himself from his thoughts. Looking around, Naruto saw that Sasuke was about to engage one of the guards, but they'd both been stopped by a kid in green spandex.

 _ _'Impressive.'__

"Please, let us save the fighting for the actual competition. The officials have spent months setting this up, let us not waste all their hard work with such sloppy show." The spandex-clad genin said as he let go of Sasuke and the guard's legs.

Naruto noticed Sasuke sending the oddly dressed other boy a wary look, and decided to ask him about it later as he heard the bun-haired girl reprimand the teen.

"Lee, you're the one who told us we had to hide our strength, what was that all about?" She was joined by another male, this one had long, brown hair and pupil-less white eyes.

"She's right Lee," the other male said. "that was reckless."

The now identified Lee just sighed and answered, "I know but..." Lee's eyes traveled over towards Sakura, and Naruto immediately took notice of how the boy's face took on a distinctly redder hue.

Like lightning Lee was standing in front of the pin-haired kunoichi, and Naruto finally got a real look at his competition.

Lee was average height, and the only disruptions in his green suit were the headband tied around his waist and the orange leg-warmers on his ankles. The genin also had bandages wrapped around his hands. Underneath the tight spandex Naruto could clearly see muscle, not as big as his own, but they were defined. Lee was definitely the type that hit hard. Traveling upwards Naruto got a shock; Lee had some of the biggest eyebrows he'd ever seen! And to top it off, the kid's onyx-black hair was shaped into a bowl cut.

The blonde Uzumaki watched as Lee gave his female team-mate a thumbs up and a smile. Naruto had a sinking feeling in his gut, like he'd seen this somewhere before. And sure enough...

"You are the brilliant kunoichi, Sakura Haruno, correct?"

Sakura just gave the spandex-wearing genin an odd look before replying, "Uh...yeah. Who are you?"

If possible, Lee's smile got wider as he introduced himself, "My name is Rock Lee. Sakura, please be my girlfriend, I promise to protect you with my life."

Naruto face-palmed. __That's__ why it seemed familiar. Peeking through his fingers, a lone blue eye took in the rest of the scene.

Sakura's brow twitched, and her mouth hung open for a moment before she finally found the words to say. "Um...no thanks. Y-You're too much of a weirdo."

Lee's expression immediately took a dive. Where there was once a bright smile, now there was a deep frown, and it looked as if he were going to cry. However, before he could plead his case any further, Sasuke stepped in and said, "Sakura enough, let's go."

"He's right Lee, we need to-" the bun-haired girl started to say. But then her chocolate-brown eyes landed on Naruto, or more specifically his sword, and she swiftly strode over towards him.

Naruto looked at the kunoichi warily. She had a deeply concentrated look on her face, and her brow was heavily furrowed. "Um, can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, you can. You can tell me how you managed to get a hold of the __Kubikiribocho__ _._ That's one of the Mist's legendary swords, and they're only given to members of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist, so I'd love to know how a Leaf __genin__ got his hands on it."

Naruto's eyes immediately hardened at the reminder of Zabuza's death, but in the back of his mind a question formed; who were these Seven Swordsmen? Kakashi had mentioned them back in Wave, but Naruto hadn't any real idea of who they were.

Filing those away for later, maybe Kakashi-sensei would offer an explanation, the blonde turned his attention back to the kunoichi in front of him. Her expectant look irritated him; it was like she was demanding answers, as if she had a right to know.

"You know what," Naruto finally replied, "you can just keep wondering. Because as far as I'm concerned that information's on a need-to-know basis. As in, __you__ don't need to know. Come on guys" With that, the young swordsman began walking away with his team.

Or at least they would have, if another voice didn't stop them.

"Hey you, Mr. Rude, what's your name?"

Team 7 turned around again, this time to be met with the sight of the long-haired boy. He, like Naruto, wore a hoodie and cargo's; although his were cream and brown respectively. Around his forehead was a brown headpiece, and one arm and leg were wrapped in bandages. Naruto quickly realized that the kid was a Hyuga by his eyes.

Sasuke, thinking the genin was talking to him, stepped forward to introduce himself. "You know it's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone for theirs."

The Hyuga glanced at Sasuke, "I wasn't talking to you." Then turned his gaze towards Naruto, "I meant your team-mate."

Naruto folded his arms and replied, "But my team-mate has a point; and I thought Hyuga's were all about manners and propriety. Guess you missed those lessons huh?"

Both Team 7 and Lee's team watched as the Hyuga boy's eyes hardened into a deadly glare. However, the young genin simply ground out a response. "My name is Neji Hyuga...and you?"

"I am Naruto Uzumaki; Demon of the Mist."

The blonde noticed out of the corner of his eye the looks his team-mate's were giving him, but he chose to ignore them, and focused on the challenge in front. Neji scoffed, as if the title meant nothing, but didn't say anything else. He just turned and began to walk away.

Naruto and his own team followed the Hyuga's lead and decided to make their way towards the exam room. On their way their, Sakura turned to Naruto and asked, "What was that back there? Demon of the Mist; since when the heck did you start calling yourself that?"

"It's not something you need to worry about Sakura, so don't ask."

 _ _ **xXx**__

Team 7 were passing through the area of the school were taijutsu practice took place if it rained. As they moved, a voice called out to them from the upper-level. "Hey you, with the attitude."

The trio stopped again. Naruto was beginning to get frustrated with all these interruptions, if they were late somebody was gonna get an earful. He and his squad looked up towards where the voice came from, and were met with Lee...and the bun-haired girl looking down at them.

Instead of anyone answering the members of Squad 7 just waited until someone was clearly addressed. It didn't take long, as the rival genin leaped from the platform and down in front of the trio. Lee was the one to speak. "You are Sasuke Uchiha correct?"

Said Uchiha eyed the oddly dressed genin coolly and replied, "Yeah what of it?"

"I have heard that you were this years Rookie of the Year. Is that true?"

"And if it is?" Sasuke asked.

Lee's eyes glinted with something as he answered, "Then I ask that you and I have a match."

Sasuke laughed to himself before saying, "You know who I am, what clan I come from, and yet you still wanna fight me?"

"Yes. I wish to test a theory, and I believe facing you will give me the answers I seek."

The Uchiha looked ready to agree, but his pink-haired team-mate chose to speak up in concern, "Sasuke-kun I don't think that's such a good idea, we've only got thirty minutes left before the exams start."

As he moved into his taijutsu stance Sasuke just scoffed, saying, "Feh, this won't take more than five seconds Sakura."

While this was going on, Naruto noticed that the girl had been giving him a cold look the entire time. Finally, sick of her glaring, the blonde turned to her and said, "Why don't you take a picture; it'll last longer."

This only served to harden the girl's glare as she replied, "Originally I wasn't going to follow Lee, but then I got to thinking, if he was coming to challenge the Uchiha then he'd be running into you."

"Yeah, and?"

" _ _I__ wanna fight __you__."

Blue eyes widened in shock as Naruto asked, "Why?"

"To see if you're worthy of handling such a famous sword, __Demon of the Mist__." she mocked. The girl noticed immediately that she'd struck a nerve, as Naruto's entire bod tensed in response to her taunting.

"I assume there's rules to this battle," he replied though grinding teeth.

The bun-haired girl smirked and answered, "Only one...strictly kenjutsu."

This confused Naruto as he quickly noticed that the girl was unarmed. She seemed to notice his discontent because the kunoichi reached into her weapon pouch and produced a scroll. As she unfurled it she said, "Oh don't worry, I always come prepared."

Naruto watched as, out of a cloud of smoke, a katana appeared. This girl could use basic sealing...interesting.

The blonde then watched as his opponent moved away from him and entered into a kenjutsu stance Naruto recognized as the __Seigan no Kamae__ _._

Naruto pulled __Kubikiribocho__ the strap on his back and entered into his own stance; the blade tip rested on the floor, and both his hands held the handle. With his short height, the blonde knew he looked funny with such a large sword, but he hoped his new look helped make up for it.

"Ten-Ten," the girl said.

Her opponent raised a brow in confusion, so she elaborated, "My name; it's Ten-Ten. I want you to know the name of the person that beat you after this is all over."

Ten-Ten's snarky explanation sparked Naruto's ire, and his muscles flexed with the desire to pummel the girl into the ground for her constant disrespect, but instead he simply growled out a response.

"Whenever you're ready to try, I'm ready to put you in your place."

Pushing off her right foot Ten-Ten rushed her male opponent. One could see the confidence in her eyes as she moved; she believed she'd already won the match. As she got within range, the brunette thrust her katana forward...and hit empty air.

As Ten-Ten got close, Naruto's sharp eyes watched his slower opponent move to strike. Quick as a flash the blonde ran the blade of his zanbato into the ground, and used the handle to spring himself up and over the bun-haired girl. Once he was behind her, Naruto heaved the giant bade out of the wooden floor, and sent it swinging back so the flat of the sword would make contact with Ten-Ten's back.

Only her training with Guy saved the girl from being hammered, as she used her speed to evade the slower attack. Ten-Ten ducked the blow, then aimed to pierce Naruto's thigh, but missed again when her attack was deflected by the blonde's ankle. The strong material of his sandal enough to stop a glancing blow.

Unfortunately, she was wide open for the kick that landed against her chest and sent her rolling back.

Coming to a stop, Ten-Ten pulled herself back up to her feet, and angled the blade parallel to her face; the tip pointed towards Naruto. However, she never got within striking distance this time because she was forced to block a swipe from the __Kubikiribocho__ that otherwise would have sliced her in half. Ten-Ten's feet couldn't hold their ground though under the unanticipated strength of the blow, so she skid across the floor, before she managed to channel chakra to her feet and stop herself.

But Naruto wasn't done. As soon as his opponent stopped moving the blonde lifted his sword into the air, and then brought it down in a crushing blow. The bun-haired brunette managed to block this strike as well, but the power knocked her to the ground; she held herself up on one knee, her face contorted in effort.

As he continued to push Naruto explained their positions.

"While you may have more experience than me, and know more forms, I make up for that with my superior speed and strength. You're too slow to get inside my guard, and too weak to handle my attacks. Maybe next time you'll think before insulting me; I __am__ the Demon of the Mist now...and don't you __ever__ forget it!"

With that, in a surprising burst of speed, Naruto swung his sword down then up, and knocked its flat side against Ten-Ten's chin. The girl's feet left the ground, blood and spit flew into the air, and she slammed into the wooden floor with a 'thump'.

Lee was by his team-mate's side in an instant, helping her to sit up and asking, "Are you alright Ten-Ten? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," the young kunoichi snapped. She sent a glare over in Naruto's direction.

Naruto just scoffed, "Feh, don't get your panties in a twist, you can't really believe that I'd just carry this around to look cool. I respect the __Kubikiribocho__ , as well as the man who wielded it, and it'd be a dishonor to both if I let the sword go to waste."

Ten-Ten just huffed, but silently felt her respect of Naruto rise at his response, before turning away from the blonde, and asked Lee if he'd gotten his match with Sasuke. The bowl-haired genin answered no, and that they'd been watching her match with Naruto.

"Well you've still got time," Naruto intervened, "My match didn't take very long, looks like only a little over a minute, you and Sasuke can still fight."

Lee looked back toward his opponent, and when Sasuke nodded in agreement, they both moved to face off. The spandex-wearing shinobi entered into a taijutsu that Naruto hadn't seen before; one hand behind his back in a fist, the other out in front. Sasuke entered his family taijutsu's first stance, then rushed his opponent.

Much like Ten-Ten, Sasuke believed that he'd win the match by overwhelming his opponent with what he thought was superior speed and skill.

Once he was in range, the Uchiha opened with a roundhouse kick. But when Lee ducked that, Sasuke tried to follow up with a jab to the face...Lee parried it.

After knocking aside Sasuke's jab Lee decided to go on the offensive; he struck out with his own jab. Unlike with the raven-haired Uchiha, this punch connected, as well as the one that followed to the gut. Lee's punch had so much power, the attack sent Sasuke skidding across the floor.

As Sakura rushed to his side, asking if he was okay, Naruto looked at Lee in amazement.

He'd watched the fight from the beginning. Sasuke's moves were easy to follow, because they were predictable, but when Lee moved...Naruto could barely follow it. The kid was so fast! One thing the blonde noticed, that he knew Sakura hadn't, was that Sasuke had tried to block the two punches. He had shifted his body, ready for them, but the attacks connected before he could do anything else.

Seeing Sasuke back on his feet Naruto watched his team-mate as he activated the __Sharingan__. The blonde saw the confident smirk on the Uchiha's face, but it didn't give Naruto any new sort of hope. He didn't believe the dojutsu would save his team-mate.

And he was right.

 _ _ **xXx**__

Team 7 was shocked when they reached room 301 and saw their Jounin instructor waiting for them. Kakashi looked over his team as they came closer and inspected them for any signs of nervousness. He found none. But what he __did__ see quickly caught his interest.

Sasuke was sporting some interesting bruises on his face.

"What happened?" he asked.

The Uchiha didn't say anything, he simply huffed and looked away. And while Sakura attempted to console her love interest, Naruto took it upon himself to explain. "The teme got his butt kicked by your rival's student."

Sakura immediately turned a harsh eye in the blonde's direction and seethed, "Naruto-baka be quiet; Sasuke-kun did __not__ get his butt kicked. That guy just surprised him is all. Next time Sasuke-kun will be ready for him, and then __he'll__ be the one who loses."

"Ha, yeah, I'm sure. The teme may be able to use that excuse for the start of the match, but what about the second round; after he activated his eyes? Lee still trounced him."

Sasuke seemed to have had enough of being made a fool of, because he eyed the blonde dangerously and said, "Shut up loser, what do you know? You got off with fighting that weak girl who only used kenjutsu."

"Wait," Kakashi stepped in. "Are you saying you three ran into Guy's students?"

"Yeah, that's why I mentioned the whole 'rival' thing sensei." Naruto answered, before a thought came to mind and he asked, "Oh, by the way, can you tell me who the Seven Swordsman are?"

The blonde's question clearly surprised the silver-haired shinobi, as evident by his widened eye, but the man just asked, "I can tell you later, sure, but where'd you hear about them from?"

"Guy's kunoichi student, Ten-Ten. She knew of them, and mentioned them when we met in the hall."

"W-Why did she ask that?" Kakashi questioned curiously. What had his genin gotten themselves into?

Here, Naruto's face molded into a scowl as he replied, "She got in my face about having Zabuza's sword, saying how I wasn't __worthy__ of it. She challenged me to a match but I beat her pretty easily."

Kakashi sighed before he said, "Well, like I said, I'll tell you what I know after the first exam is over. But for now, I think it's best you three get in there. Wouldn't wanna be late after all." He ended with an eye-smile.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," Sakura mumbled as they made their way inside.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The minute they stepped through the door, Naruto and his team were momentarily overwhelmed at how many ninja were inside room 301.

It was a full house.

Shinobi from ever corner of the continent seemed to be there; Suna, Taki, Ame, and Kusa just to name a few. And they all looked on edge.

 _ _'Well, I was too after I entered into a different country, and was surrounded by strangers.__ _'_ Naruto thought to himself. Then, a high-pitched voice caught his attention and the blonde turned to find the source.

"Sasuke-kun, it's so great to see you again," a platinum-blonde kunoichi in purple cried out as she glomped the raven-haired youth. "I'll bet you missed me huh, having to spend all that time with forehead and...hey, where's Naruto-baka?"

"I'm right here Ino," the Nine-Tails _jinchuuriki_ replied.

The girl, Ino, looked over in her fellow blonde's direction and her mouth dropped open at the sight that greeted her. _'_ _ _He has more muscles than Sasuke-kun!'__

"Hey Ino, what's got you so speechless, I thought for sure you'd be all loud the minute you saw Sasuke," another voice called.

This one belonged to a pony-tailed boy wearing a green vest, black pants, and a mesh shirt. He was followed by another boy; this one was short, but large, and was carrying a bag of chips. He had light-brown hair that was tied down by his headband.

"I think it had something to do with me Shikamaru," Naruto answered.

When the now-named Nara heir turned his eyes, his reaction was similar to Ino's, only the male genin managed to pull himself together and asked Naruto about his new look.

"It's a long story, and I know how much you hate those Shikamaru," was the blonde's reply.

"Ha, he can change his look all he wants, it still won't save him from me and Akamaru," boasted a new voice.

This one belonged Kiba, who had his ninken Akamaru riding atop his head. He was followed by Hinata, and his second team-mate Shino. Much of Shino's body was covered by a long coat, the collar even hiding much of his face, but one could clearly see the pale skin of his face from the little bit shown. Shino was also the tallest rookie, with a head of wild dark-brown hair.

"I'd be careful Kiba, this isn't the academy, your placement isn't based on some stupid paper test. Out here it's all about skill." Naruto replied coldly.

He'd never liked Kiba, the Inuzuka was always one of the first to put down his dream, and the boy was far too full of himself.

Even by Naruto's standards.

But before Kiba could make a retort, a soft voice interrupted from behind him. "O-Oh, don't mind Kiba, h-he's just anxious to start the exams."

Naruto's blue eyes looked over Kiba's shoulder and spotted a petite girl wearing a heavy coat. His face broke out into a smile when he recognized the only girl to ever be nice to him in school, and he greeted her warmly.

"Hey Hinata, I almost didn't see you there, good to know you'll be taking the exams too."

He watched as the Hyuga girl ducked her head upon being greeted, and so he missed the redness that crept into her cheeks. The blonde just raised a brow in confusion before Ino's voice bellowed, "Am I the only one who cares that Naruto-baka went from scrawny shrimp, to tanned and toned?"

"Yes Ino, you are. It's too much of a drag to hear his long story," answered Shikamaru in a bored tone.

"Besides, the guy probably doesn't want anyone here knowing his secrets anyway, right?"

All the rookies looked for the new voice, and saw that it came from a lanky teen that was walking over towards them. He wore a high-collard, purple shirt and khaki pants. His hands were covered by finger-less gloves while on his face set a pair of glasses. The guy's head was covered in a shock of silver hair that was mostly tied back by a pony-tail.

Naruto eyed the new guy warily and replied, "That's right Mr..."

The teen looked sheepish as he answered the blonde's question, "Oh, um, my name is Kabuto Yakushi."

"And is there something we can help you with Kabuto-san?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto just smiled and replied, "Actually, I think there's a way _ _I__ can help you guys. We Leaf genin should try to stick together after all right?"

"That makes sense," Sakura agreed. "So Kabuto-san, what kind of help can you give us? From the sound of it, you've taken these exams before right?"

"That's right."

"So, what, is this like your second try?" asked Ino. She too was becoming curious, and if this guy's hints would help her beat Sakura at being chunin, then she was all for it.

Kabuto ducked his head and mumbled, "A-Actually, it's my seventh try, the exams are held twice a year."

Hearing this bit of news made Naruto curious. Over the months before the exam he'd been getting more training from Kakashi-sensei, and one of the first lessons was to always look 'beyond what you see'. To not take everything at face value, because as a ninja, that could spell disaster.

So Naruto watched Kabuto a little more closely, to see if there was any reason to feel suspicious, or if he was just jumpy about the exams. __'But still, the guy's taken it seven times, how has he not passed yet. Does he just suck?'__

Naruto kept his eyes trained on Kabuto as the bespectacled genin explained one of his info cards; this one a topographical map of the ninja villages, and how many shinobi each one had competing. This wasn't so odd, the guy probably used the five days to compile the data, so Naruto let it slide.

Then Sasuke asked if the silver-haired Leaf ninja had any information on __people__. Candidates taking the test.

"I have a little something on everyone, gotta know who you're dealing with right? Are you wondering about anybody in particular?"

Sasuke's eyes focused as he replied, "Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara."

"Well that's no fun, you even know their names," Kabuto joked as he pulled two cards from his deck. "Alright, first up is Rock Lee."

A chart phased onto the card, complete with a picture of the oddball genin and his team-mate's underneath.

"According to this, Rock Lee and his team are about a year older than you guys, and are trained by the Jounin Guy. Lee has an exceptional level of taijutsu mastery, far above your average genin, but the rest of his skills leave much to be desired. His team-mate's are Ten-Ten and Neji Hyuga, and together they've completed 20 D-rank missions and 5 C-rank." Kabuto explained.

There were two things that caught Naruto's attention.

How did Kabuto know the extent of Lee's skills, as well as the number and rank of the missions his team had taken? Those kinds of things aren't just public knowledge; even to other ninja. But Naruto decided to let Kabuto keep going, because he wanted to know about Gaara as well.

Like with Lee's, Gaara's photo and chart phased onto the card. Taking a closer look, Naruto could see the red-head's pie-chart that told of his skills was more diverse than Lee's had been. Although the taijutsu section was significantly thinner.

"Alright, well, Sabaku no Gaara is a first-timer like all of you and his team consists of his older siblings Temari and Kankuro. Gaara's physical stats aren't very high, but his ninjutsu is noteworthy, while his other skills are pretty standard. It says here that his team has completed 13 D-rank, 8 C-rank, and...get this, a B-rank mission." Kabuto's eyes widened behind his glasses as he read the mission log.

"What, no way he's done a B-rank if he's the same age as us," cried Kiba in disbelief. He and his team had only performed a two C-rank since they'd been together.

But Kabuto just shook his head and replied, "It's true, but that's not even the most surprising part. It says here that not only has he done those missions, but Gaara has also never been injured while undertaking them."

Many of the genin's eyes nearly fell out of their heads at that bit of news. A genin performing a B-rank without getting touched!? There weren't chunin, or even many Jounin, that got away with no injury. So how did _this_ _kid_?

However one genin's eyes didn't widen, but narrowed, as he looked upon the scene.

Naruto's senses were on fire with alarm; that kind of knowledge couldn't have been learned inside the village. And there's no way this guy was old enough to be issued a Bingo Book, which would probably label Gaara as a C-ranked threat. So how __did__ Kabuto know those things?

 _ _'This just proves that there's something funny about this guy; knowing a foreign teams mission history while you're just a genin, not a chance,'__ _t_ he blonde thought to himself. However he didn't call the silver-haired youth out on it, because he didn't know just __who__ this Kabuto Yakushi really was.

But he'd find out.

Then, Naruto's eye caught a glimpse of something and the blonde slightly turned his head to see what it was. A team of genin were moving through the crowd, and from the looks of it, Kabuto was their target. But before Naruto could call out a warning Kabuto moved, and evaded the initial strike.

 _ _'Well, at least I know he's no slouch,'__ the blonde thought.

Yet just as he thought this, Kabuto dropped to his knees and vomited on the floor. Blue eyes doubled in size as Naruto wondered what happened. The bespectacled genin made a clean dodge...so what hit him? Then a cocky voice echoed through the room, drawing the blonde's attention.

"Why don't you put this on one of your little cards; the Sound village is gonna dominate this whole exam. You Leaf-ninja don't stand a chance."

Naruto eyed the shinobi that had spoken. He wasn't the one that attacked Kabuto, but the _jinchuuriki_ didn't like him. He was annoying. The guy had a head of wild, spiky hair similar to Kakashi-sensei's, and he wore a a baggy, tan shirt with the kanji for 'death' written on it with gray camo pants and scarf.

Before Naruto could take a look at the other two Sound ninja though, a collection of smoke clouds appeared around the room. When they all faded, the large crop of genin were surrounded by several chunin-rank Leaf shinobi. Naruto recognized Kotetsu and Izumo among the ranks.

And standing in front of the chalkboard, was a large man in a navy-blue trench coat and his headband worn like a bandanna. The guy had scars etched across his face, and harsh, black eyes.

"Alright that's enough!" He yelled in a guttural voice. "You three genin from Oto better settle down, before I have you thrown out on your asses."

The spiky-haired loudmouth gave the older man a disrespectful look and snarked, "Yeah? Well who the hell are you to tell __us__ what to do?"

Scar-face just smirked, a twisted look that promised suffering for those that crossed him, and replied, "I am Ibiki Morino, proctor of the first exam...and from this moment on, your worst nightmare."

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Every genin in the room looked to the man that had introduced himself as their proctor. Some looked at him in fear, while others looked at him with indifference.

Naruto fell into the latter category. __'Too bad for him; I'm not afraid of dreams.'__

"Now, before I begin to explain the rules of the first exam to you all, I need everyone to form a line and pull a slip from this box. The number on the paper corresponds with one of the seats in this room; that seat is where you'll be sitting for the written exam." Ibiki explained.

And almost immediately after those words Naruto's mask of indifference slipped just enough that one could see him flinch. __'A written test, seriously? They had to give me the one thing I'm__ _ ** _not_**_ _ _good at first!?'__

Although he'd begun studying, Naruto knew better than to consider himself a star student. He still didn't even consider himself average. All the blonde had managed to do was gain basic knowledge about several of the different subjects covered at his villages' library; and he didn't think one of the questions was going to be 'who are the Legendary Sannin.'

So with a nervous feeling swirling around in his stomach Naruto found a place in line. As he did though, the young _jinchuuriki_ made sure to keep up his aloof facade, so as not to give anything away to his competition.

But this made it so he didn't notice the red-haired girl behind him.

However __she__ noticed __him__.

Karin looked at the blonde boy in front of her curiously. She'd seen him watching her as her team passed the blonde upon entering the village, but she didn't let him know. Out of the corner of her eye Karin saw the boy stop for a moment to watch her, and she also saw the look on his face. It was brief, but, Karin could swear she saw interest in his ocean-blue orbs.

 _ _'But what's so interesting about me?'__ the red-head thought shyly to herself.

Back in her home village of Kusagakure Karin was nothing special; just another headband in the crowd. And while she had a brilliant mind, the people of her village didn't care so much about that as they did strength. Something Karin was in short supply of.

It frustrated the bespectacled girl because she had so much more to give; with her brain, and her ability as a medical ninja.

Why couldn't her village see that?

So Karin asked her Jounin instructor to enter the team into the chunin exams, in hopes of passing and moving up in rank, so that then she could stand out among her fellow Kusa shinobi.

When she looked back up from the floor Karin was startled to see that, instead of the blonde boy, it was now a chunin guard in front of her.

"It's your turn girl, pick a number and go sit down," he said roughly.

"Yeah, hurry it up already, we ain't got all day ya know!" a shout came from behind.

Karin blushed lightly in embarrassment and quickly pulled a slip of paper from the box. Looking at the numbers, the red-head just as quickly shuffled out of line to find her seat. Seeing what row she was in, Karin's crimson eyes searched for a mop of blonde hair...and downcast in disappointment when she saw none.

 _ _'And here I was hoping we could talk,__ _'_ she thought to herself as she moved towards her seat.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto sat down in his assigned seat, his blade having been confiscated due to its size. As the Uzumaki steepled his fingers in front of his face, a flash of color caught his eye and made him look to his right.

"Oh, hey Hinata, how's it going?"

Indeed Naruto's table-mate was the Hyuga heiress. And upon being addressed, the young girl's face flushed a light pink. As the flustered girl sat in her own seat she replied to Naruto's greeting, "O-Oh, hi Naruto-kun. I-I'm okay...what about you, a-are you ready for the test?"

Naruto smirked and said, "You bet, this'll be easy."

Hinata just smiled shyly in the blonde's direction, her silent fear of doing poorly being assuaged by her idol's cool confidence. In short order they were soon given their tests, face-down, and told not to turn them over until __after__ the proctor had explained all the rules.

"Alright everybody listen up!" Ibiki called out from the front of the room. "As I've already mentioned this is a written exam, but it will be unlike any other test you may have taken back in the academy. However, before I explain why, let me tell you right now; no questions until after I've explained everything."

This got the Jounin more than a few cross looks. No questions? What kind of examiners does that!? However, none of the genin decided to voice their displeasure, and settled on glaring at the scarred man.

Ibiki was just fine with that.

"Now, as I said, this test will be different. The first, and most major difference, comes in the fact that your score will be determined by the combined numbers between you __and__ your squad-"

"What!" Sakura interrupted loudly.

"Quiet, didn't I just day no questions!? Now, as I was saying, your entire team must score all-together a total of nine points. Each question is one point a piece. Meaning that all it takes is one person scoring high enough for your team to pass...however, should just one member of the team get a zero then the entire team fails." Ibiki had to hold in his laughter as he watched the pink-haired girl that interrupted him slam her head on the desk.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched incessantly at that bit of news, but didn't let it distract him from listening to the rest of the rules. Ibiki then went on to explain that the tenth, and final, question would be given out ten minutes before their hour was up. Also, the chunin were there to catch anyone who was cheating, and two points would be deducted for every incident.

"If you are foolish enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels then you don't deserve to be here. So show us...what exceptional shinobi you can be." And with that, Ibiki announced that the test had begun.

The moment he flipped his paper over Naruto knew he was in trouble. The first question asked him to break some kind of code, and that would have been easy...had he not gotten kicked out of class so often. He tried, Naruto really did, but he just didn't have enough knowledge on the subject to crack it.

From there it only got worse.

Naruto decided to skip the question and try to find one he __could__ answer. Unfortunately, it seemed like the code-breaking was the easiest one, because from there the questions wanted complex math and theoretical problem solving. All things Naruto wasn't very good at.

 _ _'Damn it, what am I going to do!? If I don't get at least one question right then my whole team fails.'__ Naruto thought to himself. But how was he expected to answer questions about things that weren't covered in the academy?

Thinking back to his days in school also made the frustrated genin think about the written tests he took there. Ibiki had made sure to mention that the two were different, and then went on to explain the grading system.

 _ _'But...that wasn't the only difference,'__ Naruto realized.

The proctor had said that was the __first__ difference, not the only one. And this made the spiky-haired genin think about the point deduction system; back in school kids caught cheating failed immediately. So why only deduct points now, during such an important test?

This made Naruto think of the last thing the scarred Jounin said before starting the test. About how, anyone foolish enough to be caught cheating wasn't fit to be at the exams.

And that's when Naruto realized the truth.

He was __supposed__ to cheat.

The test wasn't about having all the answers, but about being able to steal them without getting caught. It was like a mission; one that required stealth and cunning. At this Naruto relaxed, stealth was something he had been training in all month since he'd been back.

 _ _'But using the__ _ ** _ **Hidden-Mist jutsu**_**_ _ _was too obvious, there's no way I could get away with that in here. I'll have to try something else.'__

With that thought in mind, Naruto let just his eyes wander slowly around the room, trying to see how other genin were getting the answers.

Hinata was using her __Byakugan__ , keeping her head low so that her hair covered the tell-tale veins unless you were as close as Naruto was. He could see Kiba, who was sitting ahead and a few rows to his left, getting answers from Akamaru who was perched atop his head.

 _ _'Man, I wish I had a partner like that,'__ the fledgling 'demon' mused as he finished looking around the room. Shikamaru...was sleeping, no surprise there, but Choji was writing down answers. The thing was, Naruto didn't see the boy using any method of cheating, which confused him as the blonde knew Choji wasn't smart enough to handle the tests questions.

Deciding that it wasn't important, as it had nothing to do with him passing the test, Naruto pushed those thoughts away and continued to think of a way he could get the answers he needed. But before he could, the young genin leaned his head to the side, so as to avoid a kunai that sailed through the air.

With a 'thunk' the sharpened weapon dug into the table behind him, and Ibiki's voice called out, "Number 53 failed; numbers 73 and 22 are dismissed as well!"

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Karin watched as the trio of genin were tossed out of the room kicking and screaming, each one bellowing about being treated unfairly, and how they didn't cheat. But Karin saw him, her pupil-less crimson eyes were sharp, and she'd caught number 53 five times.

Meaning the chunin definitely saw him.

She had finished the test after the first ten minutes and now was just waiting for the tenth question. This was where her brilliance showed, the questions were easy for someone like her, unfortunately she couldn't say the same for her team-mates. Karin had flipped her paper over, signaling that she had finished, and had carefully eyed both males on her team; they were both trying to cheat.

Karin sighed when she saw this. She'd tried multiple times to teach her squad about the theories and mathematics required for the test questions, but they just laughed in her face, brushing her aside and saying that none of it would help any out in the field. This was why she wanted to become chunin; so that no one would ever put down her ideas and strategies again.

 _ _ **xXx**__

The smirk on Naruto's face was one that used to spell doom for anyone he decided to prank, but now, the bandaged genin's look told of a different kind of trick. He'd found a way to get his answers.

 _ _'And I won't even have to move from this spot.'__

Naruto's left hand covertly formed into the same hand-sign he used when activating the __**Hidden-Mist**__ _ _ **jutsu**__ , then the blonde closed his eyes and concentrated.

High up above, beyond the sight of the sentinels, a small fog swirled near the ceiling. The mist moved like this for another minute, water particles in the air continuing to gather towards it, before finally a cloud the size of a plate hung in the air. But Naruto wasn't finished yet.

Next, he imagined the cloud re-forming into just a plain puddle of water, but in a flat and oval shape. A tick in the blonde's mind let him know it had finished. With that Naruto acted as if he needed to stretch, and when he opened his eyes...a liquid mirror was reflecting the image of Hinata's paper.

Answers and all.

 _ _'Ha, I did it. I wasn't really sure that would work since I'd never tried it before, but I figure it's the same as making a dragon out of water, you just gotta think of the shape in your mind.'__

With his plan a success Naruto went to work copying every answer he could see, until finally, he had all nine answers written down. Even if some of them were wrong, all he needed was one.

Now all he had to do was worry about the tenth question.

Looking over at the clock Naruto saw that he still had ten minutes left until Ibiki would call time. After flipping his paper over, seeing the blank space reminded the blonde of Kabuto's cards. _ _'I should have Ibiki-san report him to the old man.'__

That ten minutes passed quickly, and before he knew it, Naruto's ears were assaulted by Ibiki's gruff voice as it echoed throughout the room. "Alright time's up, it's time for the tenth question!"

Naruto flipped his test paper over and eyed Ibiki as the man got ready to give out the final question. But when he saw the man's eyes gleam with a haughty light, the spiky-haired _jinchuuriki_ knew that what was coming was more than just some test question.

Once he saw that everyone was paying attention Ibiki began to speak.

"Now that everyone's ready let me explain how this is going to work. Each of you has a choice of whether or not to be given the tenth question; it's not mandatory."

Seeing looks of confusion, but also of hope, the Jounin decided to make everything clear. "However, if you choose not to be given the tenth question then the other nine are invalid and you will be asked to leave."

"What!?" Kiba cried out as he stood from his chair. "What kind of stupid rule is that, of course we'll take the question then."

Many of the other genin nodded or voiced their agreement. Ibiki chuckled darkly to himself before replying, "Oh but wait, you didn't let me finish. For you see...for all those who choose to be given the final question and get it wrong they fail; regardless of their previous scores."

This was swiftly met with cries of anger and indignation, but Ibiki quickly shut them up and continued to explain the rules.

"Enough interruptions! The next person to talk before I've finished giving instructions will be thrown out along with his/her team. Now, as I was saying, failing the final question not only ends the exams for you now but also for the rest of your life. You will never be aloud to take it again. So those are your choices; play it safe and quit, or make an attempt that could lead to utter failure."

Naruto watched as, after the rules were given, several hands began to raise into the air and genin voicing their desire to quit. The number of shinobi seemed to drop like flies as three at a time the room emptied out. As he turned to get a better look around though, Hinata caught his attention.

Hinata had her head down, and her shoulders were slumped.

The young heiress was shaking like a leaf and Naruto could see her wide, unblinking eyes as they swam with fear. Looking down at her hands Naruto saw that one clutched her pant leg with bone-crushing terror, while the other trembled, hovering as if she were about to raise it. She was going to quit.

 _ _'Hinata-san.'__

Naruto eyed the girl with disbelief; she was really going to give up? This was only the first test! But then the blonde remembered that the kunoichi sitting next to him was never good at being pressured, she didn't like being put on the spot, and tended to fall under the weight of the moment.

So, with what he hoped was humor in his voice, Naruto leaned over and spoke quietly in Hinata's ear.

"Man can you believe these guys; what a bunch of wimps. I mean, it's only the first exam and they're already quitting. But I guess everyone can't be as great as you and me huh? I bet after this, the rest of the exams will be a cake walk."

He saw how once he spoke Hinata's trembling stopped. She jerked from the sudden interaction, but the young girl remained stagnant, never looking over at Naruto. But she didn't have to, because he'd seen the change in her eyes. Where once there was fear and a desire to run away, now in its place was a small light of determination that burned like a candle.

 _ _'Let's just hope it doesn't flicker out during the second test, because I may not be there to relight it,'__ Naruto thought to himself as he pulled away. With his fellow rookie safe for the moment, the blonde jinchuuriki turned his attention back towards the front of the room...and saw the proctor smiling.

By now, it seemed as if all who were going to give up had done so. As he looked out over the remaining crowd Ibiki counted forty-five individual genin; fifteen teams had passed the first exam. Smiling in satisfaction at a job well-done, Ibiki cleared his throat and addressed the remaining candidates.

"Is that all who want to quit?"

When he didn't see anymore scared faces he continued, "Very well then. For all of you who have remained...congratulations, you've passed the first stage of the chunin exams."

This was met with the expected response. Disbelief. Many of the remaining shinobi squawked about how twisted Ibiki was, while others asked about the point of the tenth question. Ibiki went on to explain that there was no real tenth question; it was another test.

From there he confirmed what many of the test-takers knew, that the real objective was to cheat without being seen, and that during a mission to gather information it's the team's job as a whole to succeed. Which was why they were scored together, and the single zero represented a team-mate's death.

Then he explained the final test.

The tenth question was a way to gauge who was truly ready to be a shinobi; someone willing to risk everything for the sake of their village. Because when your Kage gives you a mission, you don't back out of it, you accept it with the understanding that it is being done to further ensure the safety of your home. Any unwilling to put their village first didn't even deserve to wear their headband.

"But seeing as you all have stayed it means that on some level you already understood this, and for that, your villages-" Ibiki's speech was cut short though when the window to his right burst open in a shower of glass, and a large ball of cloth hurtled its way inside.

The bundle exploded in the front of the room and became a display, hung up by kunai that dug into the floor and ceiling.

All the genin looked on at the purple tarp that read: 'Second chunin exam proctor, Anko Mitarashi, is here!'

Only Naruto's face broke out into an expectant look.

Seconds later another ball rolled through the window, only this time when it unfurled it was a person. Anko stood in front of her banner, hands on her hips, and a smirk on her face.

"Alright you brats, you've had it easy until now. My name is Anko Mitarashi, and I'm the proctor for the exam that's gonna either toughen you up or tear you down."

Her entrance was met with a silence so profound one could practically hear the wind as it sailed lazily in through the broken window.

Ibiki stepped out from around the large banner and grouched, "Anko you're early... _again_."

Anko's face broke into an embarrassed scowl at her fellow Jounin's words, but it was quickly morphed into a look of curiosity when she heard the sound of someone clapping. It was slow, and when Anko looked around the room, she saw that it was coming from Naruto. The blonde had a brow raised in amusement but she couldn't see much else because of the bandages around his face, but it was enough for the purple-haired Special-Jounin.

A wide smile found its way past the confused stare as Anko addressed the young Uzumaki. "Hey gaki, glad to see you passed the test."

His applause coming to a stop Naruto replied, "Thanks, it wasn't too hard though honestly. I hope your test gives me more of a challenge Anko."

The woman in question just gave a knowing grin and told Naruto to be careful what he wished for.

Then she noticed how many genin were left, and her face dropped into an annoyed pout. "Ibiki what's this; forty-five genin? You really did go easy on them this time huh?"

Ibiki just chuckled and replied, "Or maybe we just have a stronger crop of candidates this time around."

"Yeah right." was Anko's answer to that. "Okay, now that introductions are out of the way, I want all of you to meet me at training ground number 44 tomorrow at 8 A.M. Sharp."

With her instructions given, the grinning kunoichi disappeared via shunshin, leaving Ibiki to dismiss the remaining teams.

Once all the remaining teams were ushered out of the testing room, Ibiki went around to collect all the papers. As he went, he noticed that some had managed to answer all the questions, whiles some could only get answers to about half. It made the interrogation expert laugh when he saw that Sabaku no Gaara only answered a single question.

It was when he got to the Uzumaki kid's test that his brow furrowed.

While it wasn't uncommon for genin to doodle on the back of their paper, it __was__ uncommon for them to leave messages for the proctor to read.

 _ _'Ibiki-san, I left this note because wanted to ask a favor from you. I'd like for you to inform the Hokage about a genin I thought was suspicious; his name is Kabuto Yakushi. Although he may be a Leaf-ninja, I just get an odd feeling from him. Kabuto-san had information on other candidates, from a different village, that doesn't seem like it'd be accessible to someone outside that villages walls. I may be wrong in my suspicions, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.'__

The scarred man's face was set in a grim frown. It was dangerous to accuse a fellow shinobi of treachery without real evidence, but if what this kid said was true, then there may be more to Kabuto Yakushi than meets the eye.

Ibiki remembered that the shinobi in question had taken the exams a handful of times already; always making it passed the second phase, but giving up afterwards out of exhaustion. No one thought anything of it before, but now Ibiki wondered if perhaps there was a reason behind it now.

Perhaps the young man was looking for something, and had yet to find it.

 _ _'The question is, what?'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto and his team met up with their Jounin instructor outside the academy building, along with the other rookie teams.

"I see your team managed to pull through Kakashi, I must say I'm a bit surprised." Kurenai commented as she eyed her fellow Jounin.

Kakashi just smiled and said, "Well I'm not; I knew they had it in them."

"So, uh, Kakashi...when did you start teaching kenjutsu?" Asuma questioned as his eyes landed on Naruto.

Then, when he realized just what blade was strapped to the blonde's back, his eyes widened. "And how did Naruto get his hands on the sword that belonged to Zabuza Momochi?"

"It's a long story," the cycloptic Jounin sighed. "One that isn't really mine to tell anyway. If you wanna know, ask Naruto. As for your first question; I haven't, it's something the kid picked up on his own."

Naruto could see the curiosity in the other Jounin's eyes, but he had no desire to talk about his goal, so instead he turned his attention to Kakashi and reminded the man of his promise.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you remember right before I went in to take the first exam right? You said you'd answer a question for me."

The older shinobi saw through his students' facade, and could see the blonde's desire to get away from the prying eyes of the other Jounin. Deciding to spare Naruto from having to explain something that clearly caused him pain Kakashi replied, "Oh yeah, you're right. Okay let's go; Sasuke, Sakura he'll meet you guys tomorrow for the second test."

With that the two ninja walked off, but with their backs turned, they didn't see the narrowed eyes that followed them.

 _ _ **xXx**__

 _ _ **A/N: And that's chapter five. I tried to make the test interesting, but it was hard. The actual episode is pretty much just one big comedy scene as far as Naruto's part is concerned. Someone mentioned Naruto using the Hidden Mist technique to cheat or swap tests with someone so I addressed that in the chapter; although I did find a way to make it work.**__

 ** _ **Okay so, Naruto just used shape manipulation. Like what is needed for the rasengan. But he did it without knowing what he was doing; as I explain after he's done it. During the series, because I've honestly been re-watching it, it's appalling just how stupid they made Naruto, so I plan to gradually fix that. I understand if they would have made him the typical low-grade student because no one took his education seriously but what they did went way beyond that. The kid didn't even know what chakra was for crying out loud.**_**

 ** _ **Anyway, the suffix addition for Hinata is used because at the time they weren't really friends. They never really talked before then. And Anko didn't get one because Naruto feels more comfortable with the Jounin, but not yet on a truly friendly level yet.**_**

 _ _ **So the next chapter will be Kakashi explaining about the Swordsmen of Mist, Naruto sparking curiosity, and a few other things. As always, feel free to review or PM me.**__


	6. Chapter 6

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.6- Story of the Seven Swordsmen and a bruised ego**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Kakashi and Naruto walked silently in the direction of Ichiraku's. They had long since left the academy where the first portion of the chunin exams had taken place, and the silver-haired Jounin decided that the ramen shop's relaxed atmosphere was a great place to tell his curious student the story of Mist's Seven Swordsmen.

The two shinobi sat down at the bar, Naruto ordering three bowls of miso ramen while his instructor declined any food. Eager to learn, Naruto turned his eyes on Kakashi and asked, "So Kakashi-sensei, who are these swordsmen that girl Ten-Ten was talking about?"

Kakashi turned in his seat, making sure he faced his student as he answered his question, and replied.

"The Seven Swordsmen are just as their name describes, although they don't all have to be men. Their group is made up of the seven most powerful kenjutsu users in Kiri."

"And Zabuza was a part of this group? It would explain why he was so strong." Naruto asked, before whispering the last part to himself.

"That's right, in fact, Zabuza's generation was known as the strongest Kiri has ever produced. Each member is granted one of seven swords, which as I mentioned before is relinquished to the one who defeats the previous owner, with every blade having its own unique power."

That last part got the blonde's attention, and he ignored the ramen placed in front of him to ask, "What kind of powers? And what's __Kubikiribocho's__?"

"Unfortunately," Kakashi sighed, "I'm not actually sure Naruto. Usually, anyone outside of the Hidden Mist that actually see the swords wind up being on the business end of its blade, so their abilities are a pretty well guarded secret."

This made Naruto a little sad.

It meant that he didn't know the full extent of his weapons power, and wouldn't, unless he could find someone from Kiri to tell him. The boys Jounin instructor noticed his soured mood, as the blonde took to eating his ramen slowly after unwinding the bandages, and decided to try and cheer him up.

"But remember Naruto, Zabuza didn't use the swords ability against us and he was still such a dangerous threat. Its proof that all you need is your own strength, and confidence in your own ability, to become a powerful shinobi."

Kakashi saw that his words had taken root by the way Naruto's demeanor shifted; the boy was no longer slouching. "And speaking of becoming a powerful shinobi; are you ready for the second exam tomorrow Naruto?"

That did it.

The blonde looked up with a smirk on his face, and a determined look in his blue eyes. "Definitely. I can't wait for today to be over."

"That's good." The silver-haired shinobi replied. "Do you think-"

"chough, chough."

Whatever else the man was going to say was cut off by a messenger bird flying overhead, signaling for the elite ninja to report to the Hokage's office.

Kakashi looked from the bird back to his young charge and apologized, saying that they could catch up after the second test tomorrow. Naruto let his sensei know it was okay, and then went back to his lunch.

Once he finished with his ramen Naruto re-wrapped his face, and bid goodbye to the Ichiraku family, before idly walking through the streets. As he passed between villagers, the blonde's mind continued to trek back to the secrets of Kiri's group of swordsmen. There had to be a way of finding out more about them.

His answer came in the form of a bun-haired kunoichi bumping into him.

The blonde Uzumaki managed to keep himself from tumbling, and then reached out quickly to save the other person from falling as well. Naruto's eyes soon locked with a stunned brown pair; ones that he instantly recognized.

"Ten-Ten-san, are you alright?"

The girl in question stood idle for a moment longer, taking in what just happened, before she frowned and said, "Yeah, I'm alright, but maybe next time you should pay more attention to where you're going Uzumaki-san. Oh, and you can let go of me now."

For his part the blonde swordsman managed to look apologetic as he removed his arm from around the girls waist. Scratching the back of his head nervously, Naruto replied, "You're probably right, sorry. I was just...hey wait, you know about the Seven Swordsmen right?"

Ten-Ten eyed the younger boy with curiosity as she said 'yes'.

"Do you know a lot about them?" The bandaged youth asked. "Kakashi-sensei didn't really know much besides the basics I guess, but he told me about how each sword had a power or ability that made it special. Would you know anything about that?"

The brunette kunoichi wasn't sure what she should say.

On the one hand, she was still miffed about losing her match to the blonde in front of her, and was considering not telling him what she knew. But then Ten-Ten thought about how, even if she didn't like the kid, he was still a fellow Leaf shinobi and deserved professional courtesy.

"I don't know a lot about the organization itself, pretty much just the basics like everyone else that's not a part of it, but I _do_ _k_ now about the swords. After all, I wouldn't be much of a weapon expert if I didn't keep up my knowledge on every type out there."

Ten-Ten could see the hopeful look in Naruto's eye, and heard it in his voice as he asked her to tell him more. This made the girl start to think.

 _ _'What could I get out of this?'__

After just standing there and staring at the blonde with a scrutinizing look Ten-Ten finally decided.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but only on one condition."

"Okay, what?"

"You have to help me track down __Kiba__."

Naruto's face took on a look of confusion. "You mean Inuzuka? What do you want with him?"

Ten-Ten pinched the bridge of her nose as a vein pulsed along her forehead. "Not __that__ Kiba," she groaned.

"I meant the twin swords __Kiba__ , also known as the Thunder Swords, they belong to Ameyuri Ringo of the Seven Swordsmen and it's a dream of mine to own and master them."

Naruto's look of confusion melted away and was replaced with one of understanding. "Oh, that makes more sense, but I don't understand how I can help you with that."

"Simple," the weapon user replied. "News of Zabuza's death will spread throughout the ninja world, and eventually reach the ears of the other members. They'll get curious about who defeated him, and want to find out what happened to __Kubikiribocho__ _..._ "

"Leading Ameyuri to me," the blonde finished.

Ten-Ten nodded, motioned for Naruto to walk with her, and continued.

"Yes. If you really managed to defeat Zabuza then you must be strong, so if I train with you, I'll be able to go up against Ameyuri; the Demon of the Mist was said to be the strongest of the seven...until Kisame anyway. "

"And who is Kisame?"

If he was going to be tracked by such high-level ninja, Naruto wanted to cover all his bases; especially if the Kisame guy was even stronger than Zabuza.

"Originally, Kisame Hoshigaki was a member of the Seven Swordsmen's Cypher Division and under the command of Fuguki Suikazan, who was part of Zabuza's generation. However, after an unknown incident, Kisame killed Fuguki and took possession of __Samehada.__ He later became a missing ninja, and like Zabuza, carries his sword with him." Ten-Ten explained.

Naruto made sure to lock in the names he'd heard; Ameyuri, Fuguki, Kisame. Because the blonde had a feeling he'd be faced with those names again later.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand though, the blonde asked, "And about how much stronger is Kisame compared to Zabuza?"

The bun-haired girl shook her head, "I don't really know; that kind of information isn't really public knowledge, even for shinobi. Maybe your instructor can tell you."

They walked quietly for a while, neither one saying a word and simply looking around at the various shops and stands they passed, until Naruto spoke again.

"So what can you tell me, about the swords I mean, because if you want me to help you then you're gonna have to keep your end of the bargain first."

"I suppose you're right," Ten-Ten agreed. "So you wanna know about what makes each sword special right? Well let's start with yours; __Kubikiribocho__ is the 'immortal blade', as it can never truly be destroyed. This sword is said to have the ability to reforge itself using the iron in the blood of its victims."

Naruto listened with rapt attention and a single brow rose at the new bit of information he'd received about his weapon. _'_ _ _That'll definitely be useful.'__

But the older girl wasn't finished.

"Next there's the blades I want to find, __Kiba__ , a pair of double edged blades. What makes these so special is that they are imbued with lightning, which has given them such an increase in cutting power, that they are said to be the sharpest swords in existence. Then you have __Nuibari__ , the 'sewing needle', a very thin longsword with the appearance of a needle that has a length of wire tied at the hilt; which gives the user the ability to take down numerous opponents at once by 'sewing' them together."

Those two swords sounded dangerous to the young blonde. However, __Kiba's__ lightning-laced blades intrigued him.

"After those two," Ten-Ten continued. "You have __Kabutowari__. This one's a little strange in my opinion, as it's made up of a single sided ax and a hammer joined together by a thick length of chain, this one has a reputation for being able to break through any form a defense because of how dense and powerful its blows are. Following __Kabutowari__ is __Shibuki__ ; the 'blast sword'. __Shibuki__ gets its name from the fact that the blade itself is wrapped in a scroll that contains numerous explosive seals, so that when the sword is swung, even if you block the initial strike one or more seas will set off and you'll be caught in the explosion."

 _ _'Explosions huh, sounds dangerous,'__ Naruto thought. The __Kabutowari__ wasn't of much interest to the young blonde, although he did respect and was wary of its reputation; if he ever ran into it, he'd need to be careful.

Letting his mind return to Ten-Ten's explanation, Naruto caught her as she began speaking about the last two swords.

"Okay, almost done. This next one is called __Hiramekarei__ , a wide flat blade with double edges and two handles, earning it the nickname 'twin sword'. __Hiramekarei__ has the ability to store its wielder's chakra, and then be expelled upon command and given shape in the form of any type of weapon."

"And __Samehada__?" Naruto questioned. "You left it for last, so I guess that makes it the most dangerous."

Ten-Ten nodded, her eyes turning to look at Naruto for a moment. "Yes, it is. __Samehada__ is a large blade that takes on the appearance of shark scales. Because of its shape this sword doesn't slice or cut, it shaves, leaving any attempt at stitching very unlikely due to the way the damage is inflicted. And even __if__ someone were to survive an encounter with the blade and get away, the wounds would more than likely kill them later, as they wouldn't heal in time."

"If just its bite is so terrifying, I can't believe what its power is," the Uzumaki balked in wonder.

" _ _Samehada__ has the ability to eat an opponents chakra; it makes the sword stronger. Its wielder never has to worry about being hit by ninjutsu because, with a single swing, or even just thrusting the blade into the attack, will allow __Samehada__ to absorb the technique."

Naruto's eyebrows rose up to the edge of his headband; that was a scary bit of news. "How does it do that?"

"It's said that the sword has a chakra network of its own, but I'm not really sure," Ten-Ten answered skeptically. "Heck, it was hard enough getting __that__ information on it. It took me years."

From there the two shinobi got quiet again, Ten-Ten finished with her explanation and Naruto in deep thought about the information he'd just been given.

Thinking back on what he now had to do for the kunoichi beside him, Naruto turned his eyes on her and asked, "So out of all seven swords why decide on using __Kiba__?"

Ten-Ten looked over at the blonde walking beside her, her chocolate-brown eyes widening a fraction in surprise. __'No one's...nobody has ever asked me about that before.'__

Looking down she answered.

"It's because...Ameyuri isn't just another ninja; she's a kunoichi. A woman. The Seven Swordsmen is almost always made up of nothing but men, and the shinobi forces of the world are the same way, so there aren't very many famous kunoichi out there. But Ameyuri managed to become one of them, and not only that, but she's a part of the strongest generation Kiri has ever produced...I-I just want to make the world see that not just men can be strong. She, and the legendary Tsunade Senju, are some of my idols. __That's__ why I chose __Kiba__."

Naruto had stopped along with the brunette girl as she wound her tail of Ameyuri and being a kunoichi. The blonde Uzumaki looked at her with understanding, as he too wanted to stand out and make a name for himself, both wishing to honor those that had come before them.

Ten-Ten turned her eyes up, locking gazes with the boy beside her, and asked, "What about you; why did you decide to take up __Kubikiribocho__? From what I've seen, even if it was just a little bit, you don't seem the type who's just doing it for himself."

"You're right," he replied. "I'm not. Zabuza didn't hand the sword down to me, and when I learned the tradition of how they're passed I almost didn't take it, but then I thought of something. What if I don't, and someone else comes along and pulls the sword from its place by Zabuza's grave?"

"But so what?" Ten-Ten asked. "Why should that matter to you?"

By this time Naruto truly took a look around and noticed where they had wandered of too. It was the training ground where he'd become a genin.

 _ _'Must have walked farther than I thought.'__

Turning back to the bun-haired kunoichi he answered, "Because I liked, and respected Zabuza. He was a man of honor and respect; even if he did have a cold heart. And even then, in the end, he showed that behind all the stern and steel that he cared about his partner...he even gave his life to avenge them. When I learned from Kakashi-sensei about the passing of the swords I realized that, if I didn't take it, someone else would; but they wouldn't use it to honor Zabuza's memory, only to brag and boost their own ego."

Throughout the bandaged boy's speech Ten-Ten listened, enraptured, as his voice filled with passion and respect. This wasn't just some wannabe swordsmen who swung their blade around, no, Naruto Uzumaki was a person who cared about and understood his weapon; someone who went out of their way to make sure that the tool became more than just another piece of tempered metal.

"So," she played on, "You took up his sword to honor Zabuza Momochi?"

"That's right," Naruto affirmed with a strong nod.

"That's good to hear, but, wouldn't you make him prouder by surpassing him?"

This confused Naruto. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Well, you don't really just wanna be a carbon copy of Zabuza do you? If you really wish to honor his memory, shouldn't you work to surpass him, and add to the name Demon of the Mist?" The older girl explained.

Then she took a look at the position of the sun, saw it was past noon, and said, "You think on that for a bit; I've gotta go, I promised to look after the shop after the test."

Naruto waved silently at the retreating kunoichi as he stood alone in the training field.

Or at least, he __thought__ he was alone. "So that's what this has all been about."

 ** _ **xXx**_**

While Naruto was busy talking with Ten-Ten, Kakashi had made his way over to the academy's administration building; where the Hokage conducted his business. Once he entered the room the silver-haired Jounin knew right away that this was a serious meeting.

 _ _'Every Jounin in the village is here,__ _'_ he thought.

And indeed they were; all 65 of them. They all stood in a semi-circle around the Hokage, who sat behind a desk with Ibiki Morino at his side.

 _ _'Which means whatever is going on has to do with something Ibiki found.'__

Kakashi was pulled from his observations by the Sandaime, who noticed that the masked man had entered the room.

"Ah Kakashi, you've arrived. Good, then this meeting can get started."

"But dad, you haven't even told us what the meeting is about." Asuma spoke up from his place in the crowd.

At this, Ibiki stepped forward and addressed his fellow Jounin. "That is because Hokage-sama has given me the order to explain what I've found to the rest of you."

"And what did you find that constitutes a meeting of every Jounin in the village?" Kakashi asked.

"The possibility of a mole."

The T&I leader's answer was met with looks of shock and hushed whispers of what village the mole was from. The Sandaime looked at his forces and sighed; people were so easy to unravel. "Everyone be quiet. Let Ibiki finish before you start prattling on like civilian women."

His barb had the desired effect, everyone hushed up quickly, and then they turned their attention back to Ibiki to hear what else he had to say.

"Thank you Lord Hokage," the scarred man acknowledged before continuing. "As I was saying, I have reason to believe that we've been harboring a mole for a number of years without even knowing it."

This shocked many of the shinobi present, although some had suspicious looks on their faces as they eyed the back of Anko's head; some of them still didn't fully trust her.

However Ibiki, as well as the Hokage noticed this, and the Jounin decided to put that theory to rest...again. "For those of you who need to be reminded; Anko Mitarashi was __not__ a willing participant in Orochimaru's schemes, and is a loyal member of the Leaf's shinobi forces."

"Then who __is__ the mole Ibiki-san?" Came a voice in the crowd. The Jounin in question couldn't see who had spoken though, the coward was hidden behind a small cluster of other ninja.

"He's someone who has lived among us since he was a small boy, after we rescued him from the destruction of his village, he even became the adopted son of one of our most respected medical ninja ever produced...I believe the mole is Kabuto Yakushi."

The elderly Hokage saw the confusion among his ranks and decided to elaborate for Ibiki. So, standing from his seat, Hiruzen lifted up Naruto's test paper and explained.

"As he was picking up the written test that helped make up the first portion of the chunin exams Ibiki found this note written on the back of one of the candidates papers. It explains how young Kabuto revealed having an unusually high level of knowledge in regards to foreign ninja and their skills...down to the number and level of missions they'd taken, and the outcomes as well."

"But Hokage-sama, what does that have to do with anything, isn't it good that we have a shinobi with such knowledge?" Ebisu questioned, who stood in the back by Kakashi.

"Normally yes," the Hokage agreed. "But that's not all; he also had such knowledge about members of our own village ranks; I had Ibiki check the boys home and he found the info cards. This is something I assure you is not common in any village for a genin; no matter how long he's been a shinobi."

This got the Jounin's attention.

The Hokage was right; no ninja had such detailed information on their fellow shinobi. Only the village Kage would have any extensive knowledge on the village's ranks, and Jounin only knew basic information from the academy files.

This was revealing itself to be a potential threat indeed.

"So then are we going to confront Kabuto Yakushi, Lord Hokage?" Kurenai asked from her place beside Anko.

Hiruzen shook his head. "No, that would get us nowhere. I have reason to believe that this boy is far more dangerous than his rank displays, and unfortunately, physical torture will do no good on a medical specialist of his grade."

"What about a mind-walk?" Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan and Ino's father, suggested. He was a high-ranking member of the T&I department thanks to his family's special brand of ninjutsu.

"I had originally thought the same thing before Ibiki explained to me that, with how long this boy may have been working under someone else, there is more than a possibility that he's been conditioned or given some sort of seal that will prevent us from extracting information from his mind."

Asuma understood where his father was going with this, and stepped forward to voice his belief.

"So what you're getting at, is to leave the kid alone, but keep an eye on him to see if we can catch him in the act with whoever it is he's working for."

"That's right, because right now we have no real idea, and with the chunin exams going on a full investigation may lead to trouble as the other nations may feel betrayed; especially if its revealed Kabuto does not work for any of them." The Hokage finished.

The old man looked on at his Jounin as some went back to muttering their thoughts to each other. His eyes landed on Kakashi, and the two men shared an understanding nod. If this threat turned out to be real, then Naruto was going to need to be re-evaluated.

 _ _'That boy, I always knew there was more to him than just being a knucklehead.__ _'_

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto turned his eyes in the direction of the familiar voice, and was a little surprised to find Sasuke standing a few feet away.

The raven-haired youth was leaning against a tree, his onyx-black eyes staring intently at Naruto's form.

"That's what __what's__ been all about Sasuke; what are you talking about?"

Sasuke pushed off the trunk of the tree. "Everything; the sword, the sudden seriousness in your training, and why you called yourself the Demon of the Mist earlier. You're doing it all for that rogue loser we beat back in Wave."

"Since you apparently heard everything there's no reason for me to repeat myself." Naruto replied, crossing his arms. "But now I have a question for you; why are you following me, what do you want?"

Sasuke chuckled, "That's two questions dobe, and I followed you because I was curious."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you mean about me, but I __do__ know better, so what were you really trying to learn teme?"

The Uchiha avenger shifted his hands into his pockets. "I was wondering why our sensei, an elite shinobi of such high standard, was wasting his time with you and hasn't spent more than five minutes with me."

Naruto let out a snort, "Che, what, are you gonna pout Sasuke? Kakashi-sensei spends that time with me because I take the initiative to get his attention; I __want__ _t_ o learn, and my reasons are more respectable than a schoolyard crush or some pipe-dream ambition ."

The blonde could see he'd struck a nerve from the way Sasuke's entire body tensed. Like a spring being compressed. But he wasn't going to take it back; Sasuke was acting foolish, and he needed to see that.

Sasuke glared hatefully at his team-mate, his eyes burning with rage. " _Pipe-dream_? Your idea of becoming Hokage is a pipe-dream you loser, my _ambition_ is about restoring honor and respect back to my family's name. So don't you dare try to stand there and talk to me about being childish you orphan!"

"What makes you think you'll ever be a match for Itachi?" Naruto demanded. His chest burned with rage from the shot about him being an orphan. "Do you think he's just sitting around, drinking tea, while you train to get stronger?"

"Of course not, and that's why I need Kakashi to focus on me, instead of wasting his time on a loser like you!" Sasuke threw back. The young genius began to stalk over to his blonde team-mate, his rage boiling over. "I won't ever be able to close the gap between us if all I do is sit on the sidelines and watch our Jounin instructor teach someone else."

Naruto was beginning to lose it. Sasuke's anger was contagious, as the blonde could feel his pulse pick up and his own muscles tense in preparation for use. However, all the steam he was building up was let out by the arrival of the Jounin in question.

"Then why don't you just ask me to train you Sasuke, instead of sulking about it."

Kakashi had found them just as Sasuke began his little rant. And although the man didn't hear anything that had been said before-hand, he believed that he had a pretty good idea what had transpired. __'So, Sasuke's getting jealous. I'd hoped to get a reaction out of him, true, but I didn't think it'd be anything this strong. I guess it's time to switch gears.'__

Sasuke whirled around to face his instructor. "After I unlocked my __Sharingan__ I didn't think I'd have to," he replied, nostrils flaring.

"I figured you'd be more than willing to take me and teach me how to use it; make it stronger. But no, you kept wasting time with Naruto, and now we're in the chunin exams and my eyes are still only at level one."

Kakashi didn't react in an annoyed or angry way. He simply let his face morph into an eye-smile and replied, "Well now, if you feel so strongly about this, I guess it's only fair I spend some quality time on your training now doesn't it?"

All the anger and rage that had built up in Sasuke's system deflated, and the Uchiha heir was left with nothing but his mouth hanging open. "W-What?"

"Well of course...as long as you have no objections to that Naruto."

The blonde now in question just shrugged and answered, "I guess not Kakashi-sensei. I suppose I'll find someone else to help me while you get the teme up to speed."

The silver-haired Jounin's smile got a little brighter. "Good. Then it's all settled; wasn't that easy?"

Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Naruto voiced his goodbyes and began the trek back home. However, before he exited the clearing, the Uzumaki turned to look at Sasuke. "Oh, and one more thing..."

The next thing Sasuke knew, he was on his knees, gasping for air as he held his aching stomach. He managed to lift his head to stare into the eyes of his blonde assailant, and gasped at the cold, blue eyes that stared down at him.

"Don't __ever__ call Zabuza Momochi a loser in front of me again Sasuke, or belittle my dream of becoming Hokage."

With that the young blonde turned and walked away again, this time not stopping for last words, and continuing on until the two remaining members of Team 7 could no longer see him.

Kakashi looked down at his new training dummy and sighed. "Sasuke you can't keep looking down on other people's goals and writing them off like that. You fly into a rage when someone does it to you, so how do you think they should react when you do it to them?"

Sasuke had gotten enough breath back to stand, although his hand still clutched his bruised stomach. He didn't reply to his instructor's question. The raven-haired youth simply stared at the spot Naruto had been standing in before he attacked.

 _ _'He was so fast; faster than I'd ever remembered him being, even during our spars. And that punch, it would have knocked anyone else out cold. Was this what he meant when he talked about fighting seriously? Just how far behind him am I?'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: And there we go, chapter 6.**_**

 ** _ **Anyway, I hope you guys liked this one. There wasn't much in the way of character development for a lot of people, but it was meant to focus on Naruto learning of the Seven Swordsmen and the planting of the idea about him surpassing Zabuza instead of just becoming him; so as to truly honor the Demon's memory.**_**

 ** _ **How did you guys feel about Ten-Ten in this chapter? Did you think I did okay with her, because I think it was acceptable. She's honestly a little hard to build on since there really isn't anything about her, but I wanted her to be given a larger role considering the direction Naruto is taking.**_**

 ** _ **Well, anyway, like always feel free to review or PM me about the story. I'm always glad to hear fro you guys and your suggestions; otherwise I just figure I'm doing good and everything's great lol**_**

 ** _ **Oh, and the Forest of Death starts next chapter too.**_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Again, the chapters will be off after this, but it's only because I'm still revising the story. I've combined a number of chapters to create this longer one. And now, seeing that it's only 11,000 words, it shows me that I should have done it this way from the start.**_

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.7- Kill or be killed, the Forest of Death!**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Blue eyes examined bronzed hands as they turned and clenched into fists. Birds chirped outside the window, their songs a pleasant sound to wake to on a morning such as this. Today was the start of the second exam.

 _ _'The Forest of Death,'__ Naruto rolled the name around in his head. __'With a title like that, something tells me we wont be getting out of there without shedding at least a little blood. Just gotta be sure it's not ours.'__

The blonde had already seen death; he stood there and watched as the life faded from Zabuza's eyes. And he'd watched men be killed when the rouge-ninja slaughtered Gato's thugs, before carving into the man himself. But now...now there was a real possibility that __he__ would be the one ending someone's life.

And Naruto wasn't completely sure what to make of that.

In his wanting to honor the fallen Mist shinobi he knew, in the back of his mind, that it meant taking on the deaths of others but he had managed not to think about it too much since then.

Being busy with training helped in that regard.

But with the second stage of the chunin exams staring him in the face, and it being held at a place with a name like 'Forest of Death', the blonde knew that he wasn't going to get through it without someone being on the business end of his sword. Was he ready for that?

 _ _'Feh, that's a stupid question,'__ he berated himself. _ _'No one's ever ready for their first kill. Zabuza probably had to psych himself up big time before taking on that graduating class in Kiri.'__

The man had killed over a hundred trained students at the age of nine, and Naruto was just now worrying about killing his first opponent at the age of twelve. The blonde shook his head; oh how times were different.

"But I've gotta do this," he said to himself while getting up from his bed. "I can't honor his memory if I chicken out when it counts, and besides, if I use the __**Hidden-Mist jutsu**__ __I should be okay right? Since I won't have to see it."

Using that reasoning to anchor his resolve Naruto walked over to the door, placed __Kubikiribocho__ in its place along his back, and made for the exit to his apartment. He had an exam to pass, and he wasn't gonna get there in time if stayed here.

Leaving his weights at home again, it didn't take the fledgling killer very long to arrive at his intended destination. Within minutes of speeding over rooftops the blonde found himself standing atop the edge of a mid-level apartment complex overlooking the Forest of Death.

 _ _'Looks like I wasn't the only one who decided to leave early.'__

Indeed there were numerous teams already standing around the gated training ground, with more coming up from the roads. Blue eyes scanned the crowd until they settled on a pair standing off to the side; one with a head of raven-black hair, the others a vibrant pink.

Naruto vanished from the rooftop, then re-appeared on the ground, before striding over to his team-mates.

Sasuke was the first to see him. Remembering what happened yesterday, the Uchiha gave his blonde comrade a heated glare; which Naruto readily ignored. Sakura, seeing her crush's enhanced bad mood, looked around to find what had upset him so; when her eyes landed on Naruto she sighed.

"Can't you two go one day without acting this way? Naruto, whatever you did to Sasuke-kun, can you just apologize before the second exam starts?"

This made the accused blonde scoff.

"Feh, there's nothing for me to apologize for Sakura. Besides, the teme knows better than to get distracted when it counts; we'll be fine."

 _ _'Yeah but I'd rather not have to play referee while you two butt heads with each other,'__ Sakura groaned internally. However, before anything more could be said, Anko called out to the teams and instructed them to converge near her.

"I guess since all the teams are here a little early there's no point in putting off the test," Sasuke observed. Then, motioning his team-mates, he began to skulk over towards the examiner.

Instead of trying to walk beside her raven-haired love, Sakura decided to hold back, and walk beside the other male on her team.

She wanted answers, and her best bet was to ask the blonde.

"Naruto what happened yesterday? Sasuke-kun was more angry than normal when I showed up at the testing area, what'd you do?"

"Sakura I already told you, it's not important. All that matters right now is passing the second exam; the teme knows that too, so just let it go for now. You can wipe the little baby's nose later—ouch!"

Naruto's gruff response was cut short by his pink-haired team-mate slamming her fist into the crown of his head. The young kunoichi gave the boy an angry look and growled, "Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that you baka. That's probably the reason he's so upset; because of that smart mouth of yours."

"You know, I wouldn't recommend beating up your team-mate before this exam girly, you're gonna need all the help you can get just to survive it."

Hearing the voice behind her made Sakura jump.

Whipping around, kunai in hand, she came face to face with the proctor; Anko. The purple-haired woman grabbed hold of the younger kunoichi's wrist and wagged her free finger in scolding manner.

"And I definitely wouldn't recommend whipping one of these out on me; it might just get you killed."

Sakura, a little shaken up from the unexpected encounter, stuttered a response. "W-Well it's not like we need Naruto-baka to help us get through the test anyway, h-he's the weakest member."

Anko stood to her full height, forcing the pink-haired girl to look up, and replied, "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that; from what I can tell, he's stronger than the both of you put together. But, you did bring up one of the rules for the test, so let me get back to my explanation."

With that, the woman vanished in a burst of speed and re-appeared back before the fence.

"All right listen up! The second phase of the chunin exams will consist of a five day survival test, mixed with capture the flag. Each team will be given one scroll, either a Heaven or an Earth, and will be required to obtain the other scroll by taking one that belongs to another team; this way at __least__ half of the teams will be cut from the exams."

"What!" Choji Akimichi cried in despair. "Five days!? What am I supposed to do for food!?"

Anko just stared at the overweight boy in surprise. Even she could go five days without food. "Well, it __is__ a forest, so just find some of the edible plants or a river with some fish. You'll be fine."

The plump genin sagged his shoulder at the thought of eating plants. Shikamaru groaned and threw his hand up, when Anko motioned him to speak the boy asked about giving up.

"There is no giving up," she replied matter-of-factually. "Che, you think in the middle of a battle you can just throw down your weapon and say 'sorry I quit'?" She thought about it a moment, giggled sadistically, and continued, "Well I guess you could, but it'd probably get ya killed."

Shikamaru hung his head in response to her answer and grumbled about what a drag the test was gonna be.

"Now," Anko returned to the rules. "Your goal is going to be to obtain one of each scroll and then bring them to the central tower, which is about six miles from any one starting gate."

"But then why are we being given five days if it's only six miles from the start?" Ino wondered out loud. To her it didn't really make sense; she could run that in less than a day!

"Because you'll be dealing with the dangerous wildlife and plant-life in the forest alongside the threat of other teams little lady. Five days may seem like a long time, but trust me when I tell you, they'll go by in the blink of an eye if you aren't careful."

Seeing that the platinum-blonde was done asking questions Anko returned to her rules.

"Finally, there is more than one way to fail this test. Number one is obvious; if you are unable to obtain both scrolls within the time limit. Two; even if you have both, but fail to make it to the tower in time. Three; if only two members of your squad make it to the tower. And four; if you look inside the scroll at any time during the test."

Kiba raised his hand, "But what if one of the scrolls just kinda rolls open and you take a peek?"

"Let's just put it this way kid, you don't wanna know," the Special-Jounin grinned. "During a mission, when you're asked to transport important documents, you're never allowed to look inside. So why should now be any different?"

Seeing that everyone seemed to understand the test now, Anko pulled a stack of paperwork from her trench coat and handed them to Naruto. "Here gaki, pass these out to the other brats and then take one for yourself."

She turned to address the crowd in front of her, "What's being handed out are consent forms, you can't take the second exam without filling one out, people may die during the test and Konoha needs to know that you all are okay with that. Once you've finished take it to the stand over there, trade it for a scroll, and then get set up next to an entrance."

 ** _ **xXx**_**

After handing out the forms Naruto walked away from his team and read over the paper he was required to fill out. It was pretty standard stuff as far as he could tell, and it made sense to have them hand one in. After all, the Leaf can't have another village claiming their ninja were being picked off unfairly, now can they?

A quiet mumbling caught the bandaged blonde's attention. Looking up, his eyes were met with Hinata standing underneath a tree. She looked to be mulling over whether she should sign the form or not.

"Ya know," he called out as he walked up to the young heiress. "You and your team kinda have an unfair advantage Hinata-san."

The girl in question jumped a little before turning to see who had addressed her. Hinata's cheeks pinked when she saw that it was Naruto who was speaking to her. Then what he'd said finally registered and she stammered out a quiet response, "W-What makes you say that Naruto?"

"Well, you're team specializes in tracking and recon right?" When the shy kunoichi nodded he continued, "That means you guys must do survival drill a lot. Plus, with your __Byakugan__ , there's no way you guys are gonna get caught off-guard; I know I wouldn't wanna fight you Hinata-san."

"Y-You wouldn't?"

Naruto chuckled lightly at her surprised look. "Of course not, you're definitely one of the strongest kunoichi out here, probably the strongest after that crazy chick from Suna. I don't know if I'd survive a fight with someone so strong."

The way the girl's face filled with color and her lips curled into a bashful smile Naruto knew he'd hit his mark. She would compete, and she'd do just fine. Turning around so as to get back to his team, the blonde threw up his hand and said his goodbye's.

"W-Wait, N-Naruto."

He stopped and looked back in confusion. Hinata was nervously fiddling with something in her small hands. Walking closer Naruto asked, "What is it Hinata-san?"

Hinata held out her hands, and blue eyes inspected the item they held. It was a small, brown jar. "I-It's medicine, in case you get hurt during the exam, I-I made it myself."

Naruto looked at the dark-haired girl in shock. She was willing to help him during an exam that decided who would become a chunin, and who stayed genin for another six months?

"Hinata-san I...I don't think I can accept this, I mean, what about your own team?"

Hinata shook her head and made a dismissive hum, "K-Kiba and Shino already have one; and I always keep one in my weapon pouch just in case. I-I made this one...for _you_."

The blonde was thrown for a loop. She'd made an extra just or him?

"H-Hinata-san...thank you. No one's, well, nobody has ever done something like this for me before; I don't really know what to say."

The young heiress just shook her head again and quietly replied, "Y-You don't have to say anything Naruto. I-I just...well..."

"Hey, Naruto-baka, hurry up and get over here! We need your consent form to get a scroll ya know,"

Sakura's loud voice interrupted them. Hinata jumped in surprise, while Naruto let out a small groan.

"I'm sorry Hinata," he apologized. "Maybe we can talk after the second exam is over, and there won't be any annoying interruptions." With that he waved goodbye again and headed off to join his squad.

Back by the tree, Hinata smiled while her lavender eyes dropped down shyly. __'He stopped calling me Hinata-san.'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Squad 7 stood at the gate they'd chosen to begin the second exam at, Naruto having slipped the jar Hinata had given him into his weapon pouch for safe keeping. "I think it'd be best if I held the scroll you guys."

Sasuke and Sakura turned to him, looks of disbelief on their faces. "Are you kidding dobe, you're probably the first person they'll go after, why would we give it to you?"

"Well, even if that is true, which it's not, we could use that against them right? They wouldn't expect you to hand over the scroll to one of us Sasuke, so they'd all think you had it.'

The blonde's logic made sense, but the Uchiha wasn't having it. "No, we can't afford to place the scroll at risk, I'll hold on to it for now and then once we get the Heaven scroll you can carry that one."

Naruto just sighed and crossed his arms. If this was how they were gonna be, chances were, someone was gonna get seriously hurt soon.

Sakura, who hadn't bothered to comment on the blonde's crazy plan, chose instead to question him on another matter. "So Naruto, what were you and Hinata-san talking about when I found you? You guys were pretty close, was I interrupting something?"

"Hmm? Hinata just seemed a little unsure of herself Sakura, so I decided I'd give her a little pep talk, that's all."

"You should have left her alone," Sasuke butted in. "If she had gotten scared then she would have dropped out, and then Kiba and Shino would have had to as well, leaving us with that much less competition dobe."

Naruto's brow scrunched in annoyance, and he shot his team-mate a slight glare, "What are you so worried about teme, they're Leaf shinobi like us, chances are they won't even try to attack one of their own. Besides, just because you're heart's cold and black doesn't mean mine has to be."

This seemed to strike a nerve with the Uchiha, because like the day before, his body tensed in preparation for action. But before he could do, or say, anything the speakers above their gate came to life.

"Alright you maggots, it's time for the second phase of the chunin exams to begin!"

With that, the chunin behind the gate unlocked the padlock that kept it closed. "But before you little brats head out I've got one more piece of advice for you all...just don't die!"

From there all the gates were thrown open, and many of the teams shot off into the darkness of the forest. Team 7 on the other hand simply walked through.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

"Why are we just walking around like this," Naruto complained as he and his team continued their light walking pace through the Forest of Death. "We've been walking for over an hour, and we haven't come across a single team, what the heck are we waiting for?"

While he'd accepted the fact that he may have to kill during the exam, it didn't mean the young blonde was in any hurry to do so. If anything, Naruto wanted to find a Heaven scroll and get to the tower fast, before something bad happened.

Something in this forest just didn't... _feel_ _right_ to him.

"Would you stop complaining already Naruto," Sakura replied in an annoyed tone. "Sasuke-kun already explained it to you; we're moving like this so that we don't get caught off-guard by any traps in the trees."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired girl but said nothing. Telling them about his feeling wouldn't do any good; it'd probably just provoke the teme into going slower, so he could call out the threat for a fight. So instead, the blonde turned his senses outward, to try and be ready for any signs of ambush.

It payed off.

After another half-hour of walking Naruto's nose picked up the scent of something foreign; they were being watched.

It was a far cry from any of the scents his fellow Leaf-ninja carried, he'd been around them all long enough to know, and it didn't match anything he'd smelled in the forest so far. This lead the blonde to believe that it was an enemy ninja.

Using a technique they'd been taught in the academy, Naruto channeled chakra to his ears and increased his hearing. His nose had always been a little more sensitive than most peoples, and his ears were sharp from his days of playing pranks, but he was no Inuzuka. He'd need the boost.

With the increase in hearing, Naruto managed to hear the enemies breathing. It was unusual. __'He must have some sort of mouthpiece on, his breathes are all followed by a strange static-like noise. I'm lucky too; the idiot got close, a little further back and I wouldn't have noticed him.'__

Naruto continued walking behind his fellow members of Team 7, his mind whirling, trying to come up with a way to draw out the stalker and take him out without giving him chance to escape.

He walked for a few more minutes, making sure to keep his senses trained on the enemy ninja, before an idea came to him. __'I have__ _ ** _ **got**_**_ _ ****_ _ _to start spending more time with Shikamaru, this idea will probably work, but it's way to lame to ever mention later.'__

With his plan set, Naruto called out to his team.

"Hey guys, hold up, I gotta go to the bathroom."

The two ahead of him looked back, Sasuke with a frustrated scowl and Sakura a grossed out look.

"What the...are you serious Naruto-baka!? Why didn't you go before you left home!?"

"Hey," the blonde cried indignantly. "It's not my fault okay, how was I supposed to know we'd be doing survival exercises for the second exam?"

"Well still-"

"Sakura enough," Sasuke interrupted. "The longer you argue with the idiot the more time we waste. Just let him go." The Uchiha stepped over to one of the nearby trees and sat down, motioning for his blonde team-mate to go do his business.

Naruto nodded in thanks to his raven-haired team-mate before he walked off into the trees on the other side. He made sure to walk a good ways, so as to give the stalker a higher sense of security, before stopping and making like he was undoing his belt.

The entire time he made his little side journey the bandaged blonde kept his senses trained on the guy in the trees; he silently patted himself on the back when he noticed the guy was following him. This may just be easier than he thought.

It wasn't more than a minute before Naruto heard the guy drop down behind him. He felt the cold steel of a kunai press against his neck, and then heard a raspy voice in his ear.

"Don't you know it's not safe to walk around strange places by yourself? Never know what kind of bad guys are out there, waiting in the shadows."

Instead of panicking, Naruto just laughed a little. This seemed to annoy the enemy ninja because he growled, "Why are you laughing punk, don't you realize that this is the end?"

"I'm sorry, it's just, that's gotta be one of the worst lines I've ever heard. And I used to say some pretty lame things, so I'd know."

"Well," the ninja replied, "I hope it was funny enough, because it's the last thing you'll ever hear!"

With that, he whipped his kunai across Naruto's throat, and stepped back to watch as the body fell down into a puddle of blood.

"Ha," the Ame genin laughed. "I knew that kid was all talk—greh!"

Oboro didn't have long to gloat though. Faster than he could comprehend an arm wrapped around his throat, and a kunai was shoved through the back of his neck. The move severed his spinal cord;ending his life instantly.

Because of this quick death, the young brunette didn't have the chance to see the body at his feet puff away into smoke, revealing itself to be a __**shadow-clone**__.

Behind him, the real Naruto stood with his weapon hilt-deep in the boys' neck. Once he was sure he'd done it right Naruto yanked his knife free and let the Ame genin's body drop unceremoniously to the ground.

With bile rising fast in his throat, the blonde forced himself to look at the dead body. Naruto wanted it to register in his mind that he had done this, and that he'd be doing it again. The Uzumaki boy looked over his first kill.

As he hunched over to throw up Naruto thought about what he'd seen.

He saw blood stain the collar of the Ame genin's jumpsuit, turning the pale yellow a dark, muddy crimson. There was a lot less blood than he'd originally expected. He'd created and switched with a clone while walking towards his designated tree, and then stalked up behind the older-looking boy to make the kill.

 _'Must be what makes it such an ideal assassination spot.'_

But this actually helped a little.

Naruto had been expecting his first kill to be messy, and to be covered in blood, but instead only a small back-splash had caught the knuckles of his killing hand.

Looking over the guy again, the bandaged blonde noticed the look in his eyes. Shock. For a single second the Ame genin had known Naruto was there, and had been surprised. Now his eyes would forever remain wide and glassy with that look.

But the fact that his enemy had known he was there at all made Naruto realize that his silent killing needed work.

' _ _A lot of work,'__ he thought grudgingly. _'_ _ _There's no way it'll work on any self-respecting chunin, never mind Jounin. Even with the mist, if I don't practice more with my technique, I'll be an embarrassment to my title.'__

Cleaning off his kunai, Naruto placed it back in its holster with the others, and then knelt down to check if the guy had a scroll. No dice.

"He must have been sent out as a scout," Naruto mumbled to himself. "Either that, or he was impatient and wanted to start picking people off so he parted from his team. Feh, with his skill level, I'd bet even Choji could beat him."

Having no luck with finishing up the second exam quickly Naruto got back to his feet and started to make his way back to the others.

 _ _'No point in giving the guy a burial; not like he'd do the same or me.__ _'_

It didn't take the blonde long to make it back. But once he did, Naruto refrained from telling them about what happened and just motioned that he was ready to go.

"That's still so gross," Sakura shuttered. "Until we find a river, or get to the tower, stay away from me. I don't want you touching me with those hands."

While he didn't stop, Naruto's breath hitched for a moment.

 _ _'What?'__

He looked over at his pink-haired team-mate, expecting to see some form of unholy disgust, but instead was met with a face that resembled a girl who thought boys were icky.

 _ _'Oh, that's right, she thinks I used the bathroom, Sakura didn't actually see what I did.'__

With his fears put to rest Naruto started to turn his attention back to the forest around him. But first, the blonde let his gaze linger for a moment and he replied, "Sure thing Sakura. And when we get attacked by enemy ninja, I'll be sure not to come save you; ya know, with my dirty hands and all."

From there the team was quiet.

Although Sakura looked over at the blonde in befuddlement; he __wouldn't__ save her? The same kid, who'd swear up an down that he'd do anything for her, wouldn't come to her aid if she were in danger?

 _ _'Yeah right,'__ she thought with a snort. _'_ _ _The baka's probably just trying to get my attention, but it won't work.'__

 _ ** _ **'Cha! That little knucklehead, who does he think he is, Sasuke-kun? If he thinks acting all cool's gonna make us go out with him he's crazy'**_**_ ,Sakura's inner-voice agreed.

But as they moved farther and farther into the forest, Team 7 was unaware of just what kind of danger awaited them.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Outside the testing grounds, seated atop the stand where the teams received their scrolls, Anko Mitarashi was having her lunch. She'd made a quick dash to her favorite dumpling stand, and then returned so as to not miss any of the fun sounds that echoed through the Forest of Death.

"Aaaaaahh!"

 _ _'Like a team of genin getting caught in a trap,'__ she thought with a sadistic smirk.

After sliding another dango off its skewer the purple-haired kunoichi went to take a drink from her can; though her mind soon started to drift. It's main focus, the Nine-Tails _jinchuuriki_.

She'd only really met him twice; that time in the store, and then again in the library. But she'd found the blonde to be an interesting character. He'd even managed to keep up with her humor, something not many people could take claim to. __'One thing's for sure,'__ Anko thought with a laugh. _ _'He's definitely one of the few that'll survive the forest. That kid's no ordinary genin.'__

As she was about to slide the last dumpling off the skewer Anko was joined by two chunin.

"What's the matter," she asked. "Why are you bothering me?"

One of the lower-ranked shinobi, one with glasses, bowed and replied. "We're sorry Mitarashi-san, but, we've discovered something that we think you should see."

"And what would that be? It must be pretty important for you to willingly interrupt my lunch."

"It is mam," chimed the other chunin. "It...well it's a highly unusual case, and we believe you are the best suited to asses the situation.

"Unusual huh?"

Anko hopped down from her perch, the dango skewer resting between her teeth. "Alright then," she eyed the two men with curiosity, "show me what's got you guys so nervous."

In a trio of shunshin the three ninja were gone.

When they stopped, Anko saw that she'd been taken to a small prayer field. There were small statues of deity circling a stone platform. And on that platform was the reason she'd been called.

Three dead bodies.

It was obviously a messy ending, as the area was splattered with blood. But what Anko couldn't figure out is __who__ had done it, and why?

"Alright," she turned to the chunin with glasses, "so what do you know about what happened here?"

The chunin handed his superior the ninja I.D.'s of the dead shinobi and explained what he knew.

"We were patrolling the area, as per Lord Hokage's orders, when we came upon the scene. They were already dead, and we have no clues as to who committed the act, but there was one thing that we couldn't make heads or tails of...and why we came and got you."

As she looked through the wallets of the, now identified Kusa genin, Anko replied. "Right, you mentioned something about this particular case being unusual, so what was it?"

"They...well, Mitarashi-san the victims faces have been torn off."

This piece of news immediately got Anko's attention. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and her body tensed in fear, as an image...a memory, began to playback in her mind.

 _ _'No...it can't be. What would he be doing here, why now.'__

Turning to the chunin she had spoken with the Special-Jounin began to issue orders. "I want you to inform Lord Hokage of this immediately. Tell him to send a squad of Anbu units into the Forest of Death, he'll understand why."

"But mam what about you-"

"I'm going in alone," she cut him off. "We need to respond quickly if we want any chance of capturing the one who did this, but I can't beat him alone, so I need those Anbu."

Anko reached over and grabbed the chunin by his flack jacket, "Which I won't get in time if you sit around here asking stupid questions, so get going!"

Stuttering an apology, the chunin made a hasty exit towards the Hokage's office, leaving Anko alone with the second chunin. "Mitarashi-san, I'm new to my rank so I don't understand all this, what's going on?"

But the purple-haired kunoichi didn't respond. She reached up to cup her neck, eyes burning with rage, and then she was gone. Heading back towards the Forest of Death.

 _ _'Feh, how appropriate, what with that particular snake slithering around inside.__ _'_

 ** _ **xXx**_**

While the Special-Jounin rushed in to combat a dangerous threat to the village, Naruto was busy facing off against enemies of his own.

He and his team had made it another half a mile in when they were attacked; this time by a full team, and out in the open. It was a genin squad from Suna this time.

 _ _'I'm just glad it wasn't Gaara's team,'__ Naruto thought as he eyed the trio in front of him.

This one was an all-male squad. Each one wore sleeveless muscle shirts of different colors and white pants that were taped at the ankles.

One in particular caught the Uzumaki's attention.

The guy stood at an average height, and had a head of dirty-blonde hair, but it was the weapon he wielded that got Naruto's attention. He had a large club gripped in his hand. It wasn't so big that it looked odd in the older boy's hand, but the bandaged blonde could tell that it was heavy, by the way the Suna genin's arm was tensed. There were also spikes protruding from various spots around the hunk of metal.

"Well, well, what have he here," the club wielder jibed. "Looks like we found three little Leaf rodents to kill, right guys?"

"You bet Ranmaru," laughed a Suna genin with raven-black hair and shades.

"It's too bad for them," agreed the third genin. He had green hair and a pale complexion. "They just look like a bunch of greenhorns, and already they're gonna die."

The two on the ends broke out into an annoying chorus of laughter. But as Naruto tensed his muscles, the club wielder looked his way, and the older boy's eyes hardened.

"Quiet."

Both Suna genin stopped laughing immediately.

 _ _'So I was right,'__ the blonde thought. _'_ _ _He is the leader.'__

But before Naruto could think of how to respond to the situation Sasuke beat him to it.

"Before this goes any further why don't you tell us what scroll you have." A cocky smirk etched its way onto the Uchiha's face as he continued speaking, "I'd rather not waste time beating you guys to a pulp if it's not gonna get me what I want."

Naruto resisted the urge to strangle his team-mate. What was he doing!?

Ranmaru, the genin that Naruto kept his eyes on, pulled his team's scroll from his supply pouch. It was a Heaven scroll. The one Team 7 needed to pass...which means __they__ had the scroll the Suna team needed too.

A fight was unavoidable

Sasuke realized this too, although he looked at it as an opportunity to beat down a team of foreign ninja, and show-case his Uchiha power.

"Well now, that's too bad for you the three of you. Because you see, that's the scroll we need, and now that I know which one of you has it..." Sasuke vanished.

Or at least, that's what it looked like to Sakura and the Suna genin. But to Naruto and Ranmaru, the Uchiha may as well have been jogging.

When Sasuke re-appeared above him Ranmaru was more than ready. The Suna genin jumped back, and easily avoided the raven-haired boy's aerial attack. But it seems Sasuke would not be outdone, as he immediately rushed forward, and attempted to connect with a combo of punches.

Ranmaru ducked and weaved around each of the blows that his opponent threw at him. After ducking under one right-hook in particular though, the older boy decided to throw up his hand, and catch the roundhouse that came behind it. From there, he simply shoved the raven-haired kid to the ground.

Sasuke managed to catch himself with the palms of his hands, and flipped back towards his team. The guy hadn't even been trying, and he'd avoided every strike. How could that be!?

But before Sasuke could think of a new attack plan the Suna genin called out to him.

"Don't bother," Ranmaru said, "it's not you I'm interested in kid. I wanna fight the blonde one. I'd like to know if that sword's just for show, or if he's actually got what it takes to swing it."

This angered the Uchiha. He was being dismissed, for __Naruto__ of all people, it was insulting.

 _ _'This guy just doesn't realize who he's messing with.'__

With that, Sasuke activated his __Sharingan__ and sent another snide grin at the club wielder. "What, afraid that now that I know your moves I'll pound you with my __Sharingan__?"

Ranmaru laughed.

"Ha! Fancy eyes aren't gonna save you here kid, and besides, I already told you. You don't interest me. I prefer to fight opponents who wield weapons, not just just jutsu, it shows they have __real__ skill." The dirty-blonde looked over at Naruto and asked, "So how about kid?"

Naruto's response was to begin activating his __**Hidden-Mist jutsu**__.

This shocked the three Suna genin, as well as the remaining members of Team 7.

As the surrounding area began to fill with mist Ranmaru called out to the disappearing blonde, "What's a Leaf-ninja doing using a Kiri technique?"

By the time his fellow blonde was done speaking, Naruto had vanished from sight. Not even his own team could see him. Naruto swiftly made his way up into the trees, and from there, created two _**shadow-clones**_.

Using hand signals that they'd practiced over the month before the exams, Naruto instructed his clones on what to do.

This guy was definitely more skilled than that Rain-ninja, so he'd need to be a little smarter.

Down below, Sasuke and Sakura were back-to-back, cursing their blonde team-mate for not letting them in on his plan. How were they supposed to fight in this mist?

 _ _'And how did he even manage to do it,'__ Sakura thought to herself as she surveyed her surroundings.

There was never any immediate water source, how had he created the mist? __'That creep Zabuza used the river, but Naruto just seemed to make it appear out of nowhere!'__

But she didn't get to think about it for too long, because her eyes made out the hazy shape of a person to her left. As they drew closer, she realized it was the green-haired Suna genin, and he was looking right at her.

"So Ranmaru was right, you three __aren't__ _b_ ig on teamwork it seems."

He rushed forward, but instead of locking weapons with Sakura, he wound up clashing with Sasuke. The two had turned, with the pink-haired kunoichi covering his blind spots.

"Just because the dobe doesn't let us in on his little plan," Sasuke replied, "doesn't mean we were never taught how to work together." The Uchiha pushed away his opponents kunai and threw out a jab. It connected, and sent the Suna genin staggering back.

Taking this chance, Sasuke reached back to wrap an arm around Sakura's waist, and then leaped away back into the mist.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

While Sasuke and Sakura dealt with his team-mates, Ranmaru was busy keeping up his guard in preparation for the third member of Team 7's opening attack.

"Ya know," he goaded, "here I thought you were different! But it turns out your just like all the other wanna-be losers that make up the ninja world!"

He was met with silence.

And then he was dodging shuriken as they sailed towards him from the right.

His eyes scouring the mist Ranmaru called out again, "What kind of attack was that, huh? All this hiding, and for what, eventually you'll have to face me like a man!"

The dirty-blonde heard the shifting of the ground behind him, and whirled around to attack his opponent with his club, "Ha! Got you!"

Spiked steel cut through air as Naruto ducked under the swing. The bandaged blonde pulled __Kubikiribocho__ from its place on his back and gave his own mighty swing. However, using only one arm, the blade cleaved too slow, and Ranmaru manged to avoid serious injury; escaping with only a slight gash across his chest.

As Ranmaru regained his footing, and readied himself for another attack, he was forced to stop and block an aerial strike from above. Throwing up his club, the Suna genin managed to stop a second Naruto from hacking off his arm...but this left him open to the blonde that stood in front of him.

However, instead of running him through, that Naruto used his sword as a springboard and planted his feet dead center into Ranmaru's unguarded chest. This sent the dirty-blonde sailing back, but he managed not to topple to the ground.

But when he looked around, his enemy was once again nowhere in sight.

 _ _'This kid...he's something else.__ _ _He's__ _ _figured__ _ _out how to make solid clones; but did he just copy Kiri's__ _ _ **water-clone jutsu**__ _ _, or is this something else?'__

"Well, no point in making it too easy for him." With that, Ranmaru began to concentrate his chakra, molding it so as to have enough.

Then, he buried his club into the ground and began a series of hand-signs, before finally stopping and calling out his attack.

" _ _ **Wind-style: Gale-force breath**__ _ **!**_ "

The Suna genin lifted his head into the air and let out a heavy exhale. His attack rushed out and Ranmaru aimed his head in all directions, the force beginning to dissipate the surrounding mist.

Unfortunately, the dirty-blonde was still only a genin, and so did not have a very high reserve of chakra. With a minute of using the C-ranked ninjutsu he was at fifty percent of his max.

Knowing that any further use of the technique would hinder his fighting ability Ranmaru capped off his technique, but when he looked around, his temples throbbed with anger.

The mist was returning!

 _ _'It's as if I never even did the attack!__ _ _Damn__ _ _it__ _ _all__ _,_ _ _I wasted all that chakra for nothing then,'__ the club wielder thought to himself.

Looking around wildly, Ranmaru began to lose his cool.

"You must think you're real funny, huh kid? Think you've got me beat just because of this little trick? Well think again, I'm one of the best genin my village has to offer, and there's no way I'm gonna lose to a snot-nosed little punk like you!"

When his rant was only met with more silence the furious Suna-ninja wrenched his club from out of the ground and began to swing it wildly.

"Raaah! Come out and fight me like a man! What kind of weakling hides in the face of a fight, you call yourself a warrior!?"

This time, the older boy's angry words were met with a response...laughter.

Laughter rang out all around him. But it wasn't the kind of laughter one would give off from a funny joke, no, this was one of mockery. As if the person watching thought Ranmaru was just a big, dumb idiot.

It drove the Sand genin wild.

"Grrr, Where are you-"

The rest of the rant went unspoken. Ranmaru's head having been cleaved from his shoulders.

Once the Suna shinobi was silenced, the mist began to evaporate, and the forest area became clear again. And as the air cleared, it revealed the headless body of Ranmaru with his head sitting a few feet away and Naruto...walking over so as to retrieve his thrown sword.

The blonde pulled __Kubikiribocho__ from its earthy sheath and replaced it along his back. He looked down at the second body he'd dropped that day and said, "I'm right here."

A rustling in the bushes drew the Uzumaki's attention, and he swiftly placed a hand on his swords handle, and glared as he watched his team-mate's step out of them.

"Stop. Before you come any closer, prove that you're not an enemy using a __**henge**__."

"And how do you want us to do that," Sasuke questioned.

"Tell me something only you guys could; a memory from the academy."

Sasuke made a disgusted face as he answered, "You got in my face the day we were assigned teams, and some idiot knocked into you, so we kissed."

Naruto developed a tick, but nodded in acceptance. Then, turning towards Sakura, he motioned for her to reveal her memory.

"You chose Sasuke to be your very first sparring partner and lost...in five seconds."

The smug tone she used to relay the account irked Naruto, but instead of flying off the handle, he just scoffed.

"And yet I'm the one who defeat Ranmaru; funny how that works huh?"

This drew his team-mate's eyes to the body on the ground. Sakura paled, while Sasuke simply wrinkled his nose, but Naruto could see the anger in his eyes too. He could see the jealousy.

Sakura quickly turned her emerald eyes away from the grisly sight, and sent them narrowing at her team-mate.

"What in the world Naruto-baka, you couldn't beat him so you had to kill him?"

Blue eyes narrowed in annoyance as the accused blonde replied, "Sakura what's your problem? We're ninja, killing is in the job description remember? If I hadn't killed him he'd just become a threat later on down the road or killed me right now. I don't know about you, but I prefer living over having my brains spattered across the ground any day."

But Sakura wasn't convinced.

"Yeah well, Sasuke-kun beat both of the other Suna genin __without__ killing them, so why couldn't you?"

This brought Naruto's attention to Sasuke's less than sparkling appearance, and the blonde could only snort mockingly as he looked upon the 'elite' Uchiha.

Sasuke was dirty, and his shirt had multiple tears in it from barely avoided attacks; mostly from his blind spot. __'Looks like the__ _Sharingan_ _ _needs to take a lesson from the B__ _yakugan_ _ _about being able to see 360 degrees.'__

"Sakura why are you so worried about what I'm doing? Why don't you just keep your head focused on what's really important, like passing the exam, instead of questioning my methods?"

As he spoke, Naruto had moved over to Ranmaru's dead body and began rummaging through the pouch he'd seen the older boy place his scroll in. Sure enough, Naruto came away with a Heaven scroll, and a few weapons to replace the ones he'd thrown.

Turning to look at his team Naruto said, "Now, how about we get to the tower? I'm starting to get a little hungry."

Begrudgingly the other members of Squa 7 began to follow the blonde's lead as he began to walk off. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the pair of eyes that gazed down hungrily upon them.

 _ _'Soon Sasuke Uchiha, soon those wonderful eyes of yours are going to be mine.'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The first night had fallen in the Forest of Death.

For some teams, like Konoha Squads 8 and 9, it wasn't a problem because they had the __Byakugan__ to pierce the black. But for others, like Naruto's, it meant they had to hunker down and wait out the darkness.

"But at least we have both scrolls already," Sakura confirmed as she settled down on her branch next to Sasuke. "So tomorrow we can just head straight for the tower."

Naruto, who sat a tree away, growled a little and replied, "Great Sakura; just go right ahead and paint a big red target on the team's back."

For a moment it looked like Sakura was going to argue, but Sasuke didn't feel like listening to them, so he spoke up instead.

"Sakura, as much as I hate saying this, the dobe it right. You shouldn't just say that out loud; it could draw unneeded attention."

"Funny," Naruto scoffed, "and here I thought you'd still be itching for a fight. What happened, Ranmaru take all the wind outta your sails?"

His team-mate's jibe caused Sasuke to tense in anger, "No, I just don't feel like taking any dumb risks. Besides," Sasuke turned his head in a dismissive manner, "you saw how that weakling chickened out after seeing my __Sharingan__."

Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he just scoffed again, "Yeah, right."

"Naruto leave Sasuke-kun alone," Sakura butted in, "he's had a hard day. In fact, we all have, so do us a favor and don't start anything."

The blonde's reaction was one that the Haruno girl never would have expected.

He glared at her.

Naruto's eyes turned a dark cobalt-blue as he replied to her reprimanding. "You're one to talk Sakura. You endanger the team by not thinking before you speak, but somehow __I'm__ the one who needs to watch what I say? Look, just because I used to like you, don' think I'm gonna keep putting up with your attitude. Those days are over."

And with that, Naruto rested his head against his tree and closed his eyes.

As the trio of genin rested from their long day, somewhere a few miles away from them, Anko was kicking herself in frustration.

The Special-Jounin had spent hours searching for the faces she'd seen on those Kusa I.D. cards. Only to turn up empty handed.

"Damn it all, if I don't find him soon there's no telling what might happen. Feh, what a fine time for the law to kick in."

Anko's request for back-up in the form of an Anbu detail had been denied. Since there was no hard proof that there was a rogue-ninja inside the forest, the Hokage was barred from sending any in, for fear that it was a ruse to just pick off other villages genin.

"So much for trust and friendship between nations," she muttered while looking out into the dense woods. "And I can't very well keep going on my own right now; even I don't wanna try and deal with the monsters in these shadows."

So instead, the purple-haired kunoichi knelt down and let some of the tension ease from her body, making sure to not completely let her guard down.

 _ _'It's gonna be a long night.'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

When he opened his eyes again, Naruto wasn't greeted by the light of the sun, but by the sight of his other male team-mate's face.

"What is it?"

"You and I need to talk."

Naruto's brow arched in confusion. "About what?"

"About Sakura, and our team," The Uchiha looked over at the pink-haired girl in question. "But I don't want her to wake up and overhear what we say, so we're gonna have to move away."

That last bit caught the blonde's attention. "But if we do that, Sakura will be a sitting duck Sasuke. Even you aren't that heartless."

Sasuke's face contorted into a frustrated look of thought. He stayed that way for a moment before voicing an idea. "What if you leave a clone? That way, if anything happens, one of them can come find us. We won't be very far."

Naruto stared at the raven-haired youth in front of him. His eyes bore into the onyx-black pair that stared back at him for what felt like hours, before finally, Naruto relented.

"Alright, but only far enough so that she can't hear us."

After making the clones, Naruto set off with his team-mate and began moving away from Sakura.

As promised they didn't go very far and soon were standing along a branch far enough away that there wasn't any chance of being heard. But Naruto quickly noticed, he couldn't __see__ Sakura either. He may not have feelings for her anymore, but she was still his team-mate, and he would prefer her not dying before they passed the second exam.

Looking at Sasuke, the blonde asked, "Alright we moved away, now what did you want to say Sasuke?"

"...what do you think about having Sakura removed from the team?"

Blue eyes widened as Naruto's bandaged mouth dropped open a little. "What did you just say?"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and elaborated, "Think about it. She's nothing but dead weight; when I was fighting those two Suna genin all Sakura did was stand there. And you saw how she reacted to you killing Ranmaru. I can't have a team-mate that doesn't know how to be a shinobi Naruto."

"So you want to have her pulled from Team 7," Naruto finished.

"And what do you think will happen to us teme? The Hokage's not just gonna send a three man squad out into the field; we'll have to wait for a replacement. Besides, knowing the old man, he won't do it. He'll just tell us to help her get stronger."

The Uchiha's face set into an annoyed look.

"The waiting would be worth it, just to get that weakling off our team. Besides, I'm sure your grandfather would be more than willing to let us be a three man team; considering how strong the both of us are."

When Sasuke turned his eyes back to Naruto he saw a look of smug satisfaction on the blonde's face.

"What," he asked curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that? You know it's true."

Naruto crossed his arms over his own chest and explained.

"You know, at first, you almost had me. You look just like him; even have all your holsters and pouches on the right way. But you tripped up with your speech; Sasuke would have immediately referred to me as a dobe after I called him a teme. And besides, the real Sasuke knows that the Hokage isn't really my grandfather, I just call him old man because...well, he's old. Oh, and, Sasuke would rather cut out his tongue than admit that __I'm__ strong"

The now revealed impostor narrowed their eyes and settled into a defensive stance. With a cruel smirk he said, "Well, well, aren't you the observant one. It's too bad though. If you had just let me stall you until my master was finished, you would have been spared, but now I'm gonna have to kill you."

Naruto's smug look melted away. But instead of fear, or surprise, it shaped into one of curiosity.

"Oh," he wondered, "well that'll be an interesting sight to see. A dead man fighting."

Sasuke's look-alike arched his brow in confusion. Had this kid lost his mind? But before he could say anything else, a weight dropped down on him and slammed him to the ground. "Aaaargh!"

A pair of kunai had been thrust into his shoulders.

Struggling under the weight of a clone, the impostors __ _ _ **henge**__ dropped away, revealing a rather rotund teen wearing a straw hat and purple robes. Looking up, he asked in a nasily voice when Naruto had set up a __ _ _ **shadow-clone**__.

"Simple, when you were leading me away. With your back to me you didn't see me scratch my face; it's the sign my clones and I decided would mean 'follow'."

Naruto chuckled mockingly, "Do you really think I'd just walk off with you without being tailed?"

The impostor growled menacingly in his throat, not liking being made a fool of, but then laughed himself before he bragged, "And yet you still lose. My master has more than likely already achieved what he's come here to do, so my time was not wasted. Which means, in the end, __I__ get the last laugh!"

From there he broke out into a wild, mocking fit of laughter...only to be silenced a moment later when Naruto's clone pulled out another kunai and jammed it into the back of his neck. The impostor was silenced instantly.

"You know," the doppelganger said as it stood up, "there is more than one way to kill a person. By Zabuza's knowledge, there are eight."

Naruto eyed his clone. "I know, but I'd rather not have had to listen as he choked on his own blood. He was a pawn in someone else game, not really a position befitting a ruthless death. But what he said...I should get back to the others."

With a nod the clone dispelled in a puff of smoke, sending the chakra back to its creator, who then proceeded to rush back the way he came.

 _ _'I've got a bad feeling about this.'__

That bad feeling turned out to be well founded. Because once the blonde returned to where he and his team had settled down, he immediately noticed one very bad thing.

There was nobody there.

Sasuke and Sakura were gone, and it didn't look like anyone had ever even...wait, what was that? Naruto knelt down on the branch that Sasuke had picked to sleep on, squinted his ocean-blue eyes, and saw something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Blood. There was a puddle of it oozing along the bark of the log.

"Shit, chances are that's Sasuke's blood. Problem is I don't know which way they even went." Staring back down at the blood, Naruto got an idea. "But maybe..."

The blonde focused his chakra and sent it to his nose. His sense of smell skyrocketed, and he could pick up the scent of the blood in front of him as well as a faint trail that lead off to the left. Snapping his head in that direction, Naruto quickly shot off from the branch and raced after his team-mate's.

Just because he didn't like them, didn't mean he was willing to fail the exams by letting them die.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Sasuke felt as if his heart was going to explode out of his chest, and his lungs burned from the heat of his latest __**Great-Fireball jutsu**__. The opponent in front of him was unlike anything he'd ever faced before; the Uchiha didn't think even Rock Lee would stand a chance.

 _ _'Just who the hell is this lady, and what does she want from us?'__

So far, the raven-haired clan heir hadn't activated his __Sharingan__ , but Sasuke was beginning to think that if he didn't do it soon that the fight wouldn't last much longer.

The woman had appeared out of nowhere during Sakura's watch. Naruto had disappeared, and the pink-haired girl had been placed under a genjutsu. Sasuke was awakened by the immense evil that permeated the air as the Kusa kunoichi stepped out from behind a tree. Sasuke had immediately woken Sakura from her forced slumber and asked about Naruto.

"Your little friend is far too powerful for his rank" she'd replied in a slick, oily tone, "and I didn't feel like trying to avoid him while having my fun with you Sasuke Uchiha."

From there it was a blur to the frightened remains of Squad 7.

The lanky woman just...looked at them, and Sasuke and Sakura were unable to move. It felt as if their entire bodies had been weighted down with lead. But that wasn't the worst of it.

As they peered into the Kusa kunoichi's eyes both genin each witnessed their own gruesome demise at the evil woman's hands. It was bloody, it was painful it was sick, it was... _ _terrifying__.

Sakura, unable to handle such a grisly image, bent over and retched. As she emptied her stomach of its contents Sasuke also noticed that she was shaking, convulsing, out of sheer horror at the thought of dying in such a way.

Sasuke had turned his eyes away from her when he noticed the woman beginning to walk towards them, and air of pure death seeming to radiate from her very being.

The Uchiha avenger grit his teeth until they ached and finally managed to force himself to move, if only a little, so as to pull a kunai from his holster. After that, Sasuke plunged the blade into his own flesh, and with the genjutsu's hold broken, rush off with Sakura clutched in his arms.

Unfortunately they didn't manage to get very far, and Sasuke was forced to do battle with the creepy kunoichi. That's when he learned how much trouble he was truly in.

 _ _'I haven't been able to land a solid blow since we started,'__ he thought while keeping his eyes on the Kusa woman. _'_ _ _She's so fast, and this wound in my leg isn't helping me to keep up with her.'__

Suddenly a dark laughter filled the air, drawing Sasuke away from his thoughts and back to the battle.

The Kusa kunoichi was eyeing him with a predatory gleam in her soul-less, black eyes.

"Now Sasuke, do you really think it's a good idea to let yourself be distracted by your thoughts? In fact, the only thought that should be on your mind is surviving, because I'm done warming up."

 _ _'That was just a warm up!?'__

 _T_ hat was the only thought Sasuke managed to get out before he was kneed in the stomach. His opponent had just gotten faster.

Sasuke was knocked off the tree he'd been perched on and sent sailing through the air. Years of training kicked in though, and the Uchiha managed to right himself in mid-air and land safely on another branch. As he looked up from his lowered position, the boy's eyes glowed red, this time with two tomoe in each eye.

This seemed to excite his opponent.

"Ah yes, the __Sharingan__ _._ I was wondering when I'd get to see it. And it looks like I've pushed you just far enough to unlock the next level; perhaps you could thank me by giving me a more entertaining fight."

When the messenger of death rushed him this time, Sasuke realized that he was finally able to see her movements. Unlike during his fight with Lee, the Uchiha's vision wasn't hazy, seeing only blurred images as the person moved. No, this time, Sasuke was able to see a clear, slow picture of his opponents movements.

And if he could see it, he could block it.

This time, when the kunoichi launched a haymaker, Sasuke threw up his arm to block and their limbs collided. Sasuke saw the look of shock in the older genin's eyes and took the opening for all it was worth.

He started by pushing his opponent's arm aside, and then retaliating with a right-hook. Once it connected, the Uchiha heir drove his other fist deep into the kunoichi's stomach before gripping both hands behind her head and bringing his knee up to smash against her face.

But he wasn't done yet.

As her head snapped up from his last blow, Sasuke used his momentum to lift himself into the air and slam his feet into the woman's chest, sending her rocketing back into a tree. Not taking any chances, Sasuke pulled two kunai from their holster and sent them sailing towards the raven-haired woman. They trapped her hands against the trunk of the tree with a squelching 'thunk'.

As the kunoichi wailed in pain Sasuke flashed through a set of hand-signs before calling out his strongest fire-style technique.

" _ _ **Fire-style: Dragon-Flame jutsu**__ _ **!**_ "

An orange dragon made of flames burst forth from the young Uchiha's mouth and soared through the air towards the boy's pinned opponent. In a fiery explosion, the dragon rammed right against the tree's trunk, its remains licking away at the thick wood.

Sakura, who had been recovered from her horrible experience, cheered for the raven-haired heir's apparent victory.

"Yeah, way to go Sasuke-kun, you did it!"

For a brief moment, Sasuke actually believed her, as his __Sharingan__ was unable to see any traces of his opponent in the fire. But then he heard that laughter again...only this time, he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"All he's done is destroy one of my __**mud-clones**__. Although, with how much power I gave it, it is a bit of a surprise young Sasuke managed to come out on top...but let's see how he handles the real thing!"

Fast as lightning a streak bolted down from a tree and over towards Sasuke. But thanks to his eyes, the Uchiha heir was able to see the attack coming and avoid it. As he leaped to the side, Sasuke quickly threw his arms up into a cross-guard to absorb the snap kick that followed.

Sasuke let himself be taken by gravity, and began to fall. As he passed a particular branch though, the genin pulled out his ninja wire and used it to swing himself to a different landing spot.

Unfortunately, this caused him to lose sight of the Kusa kunoichi.

"Looking for someone?"

Sasuke whirled around, but was too slow to avoid the spartan-kick that found its way to his chest. Managing to keep himself up-right, Sasuke barely avoided the series of punches that followed the kick, before spinning on his heel and landing an elbow against the woman's back. The Uchiha quickly followed this with a palm-strike that sent his opponent staggering forward.

However, before he could capitalize on the kunoichi's lack of balance, Sasuke was caught by a donkey-kick to the stomach, which sent him tumbling backwards.

The Kusa woman finally regained her balance and turned her attention on the now downed Sasuke.

Stalking over to him she made a noise of disappointment, like a mother scolding her child. "A true Uchiha would have been able to block that; looks like I over-estimated you Sasuke. You're nothing like Itachi."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. They filled with rage at the sound of his older brother's name, and how he was being considered insignificant to _him_ _again_!

"I think I'll do your ancestors a favor, and just end your pathetic life right here. That way, you won't bring anymore shame to that crest on your—Aaargh!" Her condemnation of Sasuke was cut short, as a series of miniature paper-bombs attached to her back exploded.

As the woman was launched forward by the explosion Sasuke took that opportunity to push himself to his feet, and ram his fist into her gut. From there, he flipped over her hunched form, placed the kunoichi in a hold, and let himself be torpedoed towards the ground by gravity.

" _ _ **Uchiha clan secret technique: Falcon Drop**__ _ **!**_ "

A resounding 'crack' echoed through the dense forest as the Kusa woman's head his the ground. Sasuke pulled himself away and stepped back, but kept his eyes on the body in front of him. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

That proved to be a smart decision, because the body shook, before meting into mud.

Another clone.

Searching the trees, Sasuke called out to his opponent. "For all your talk you seem to be nothing but a one-trick pony. What happened to letting me fight the 'real thing'? Since this fight's started you've used nothing but __**mud-clones**__ ; what's the matter, too afraid to fight me yourself?"

What happened next was beyond anything Sasuke had expected.

An enormous pressure seemed to suddenly bare down on him. It far outclassed the earlier feeling he'd had when first confronted by the Kusa woman. It was so bad, Sasuke was brought to his knees, and then forced to keep himself up with his hands. The pure malice that seemed to seep into the air threatened to choke the very life from Sasuke as he struggled to breath.

His limbs shook violently until they could no longer support the weight of the woman's power, and Sasuke was soon face-down in the dirt. Motion to his right caught the young __Sharingan__ user's attention, and with tremendous effort, he managed to peer over and take a look.

It was her.

She was walking over completely unharmed, as if the past half hour hadn't just happened. The Kusa kunoichi had a superior smirk on her face too; as if Sasuke were nothing but a bug to be squashed.

"This power that you're feeling...it's only ten percent of what I'm truly capable of. What you've been fighting, those clones, they were only one percent of my true strength. You never really stood a chance."

Sasuke's crimson eyes widened in disbelief. One percent!?

 _ _'No way...there's just no way. T-This woman, she can't be a genin, not with a power this evil. I-It's just not possible.'__

The Kusa kunoichi saw the realization in her opponent's eyes and laughed. "That's right; I'm not really a genin Sasuke Uchiha. No, I am someone who even the Kage's fear, a shinobi of such power that even your village's Copy-Ninja pales in comparison. I am Orochimaru. And I've come all this way just to see you, Sasuke, to test your abilities. And I must say...I'm sorely disappointed."

Sasuke grit his teeth and tried to push himself up onto his hands, but the immense pressure that the now identified Orochimaru's power gave off was just too much. He couldn't even twitch his fingers.

 _ _'And this is only ten percent,'__ _the Uchiha heir shuttered in fear._

Orochimaru watched as his prey struggled, the Kusa kunoichi's face still hiding him like a mask. "Oh, don't bother trying to fight it Sasuke, you aren't anywhere near the level required to stave off my powers immense physical presence. But then, that's why I'm here, to give you that boost you need in order to start down the proper path...the path to a power greater than even your brothers."

Onyx-black eyes stared down at the pinned youth, and then with a breath, all the pressure that had been weighing Sasuke down disappeared. "That power you just witnessed can be yours Sasuke...if you want it."

Down on the ground Sasuke took slow, shuttering breaths as he recovered from that latest ordeal. His ears were filled with the sound of his own heartbeat as it thundered within the contours of his chest, so it took the young Uchiha a moment before Orochimaru's words truly made contact.

 _ _'T-The power to kill Itachi?'__

But before Sasuke could even utter a sound, a kunai sailed through the air, and landed between him and the disguised shinobi that stood over him. Both males turned their eyes in the direction it had come from, and were greeted by the sight of Sakura.

"I don't know who you think you are, but stay away from Sasuke-kun!"

Orochimaru looked on from beneath his disguise and studied this new development with disinterest.

Sakura was poised in a basic defensive stance; feet shoulder-width apart and a kunai clutched in both hands. And despite her attempt to look threatening, the older shinobi could clearly see the fear coming off her in waves, not to mention her trembling body.

"Is this what passes for a kunoichi of the Leaf now," the false-female questioned. "Your power is pitiful; nothing like my old apprentice."

Sakura, having not heard Orochimaru's revealing of his identity, looked on in confusion. How could a genin have an apprentice?

Orochimaru saw this and chuckled. Only this time, it was different from the sound the members of Squad 7 had heard before. This laugh was not that of a woman...but of a man. "Foolish girl, you have absolutely no idea just who it is you're dealing with."

As he spoke, the disguised shinobi reached up and griped his face...before peeling it away. The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the otherwise quiet forest area, then, as soon as it began, it was over.

What was revealed made Sakura's trembling hands drop her kunai, and the girl herself drop to her knees.

Gone was the face of a Kusa kunoichi. In its place, the face of a man with a pasty-white complexion. No longer were there soul-less onyx-black eyes, but horrible yellow eyes reminiscent of a snake; the eyes of a killer. To Sakura it was the face she'd seen during her intensive studies, the face that nightmares were made of.

Orochimaru of the Sannin.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: And boom, chapter 7.**_**

 ** _ **Well, Naruto battles Orochimaru next. But not before Sakura understands that academy grades mean nothing on the field of battle. So, like always, feel free to leave a review or PM me with thoughts, questions, or whatever comes to mind.**_**


	8. Chapter 8

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch. 8- The Demon vs The Devil; Naruto bares his fangs!**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Sakura stared open-mouthed and trembling at the legendary shinobi that stood before her.

The pink-haired girl had learned of all the greats that had come out of her village, and among them, Orochimaru stood out in a class of his own. The man seemed to be the very personification of malevolent power.

And he was walking towards her.

"It's sad really, that __this__ is what's become of my old home's kunoichi standard. You're barely more than a civilian."

The pink-haired girl could do nothing as the Sannin moved closer and closer, until finally coming within inches of her kneeling form. Her trembling increased, and she choked on her own breath as the rogue-ninja reached out and gripped her hair.

With a gasp, Sakura's emerald-green eyes looked passed the legs that stood before her, and over towards Sasuke. He was sitting on his hands and knees now, staring blankly at the ground.

"S-Sasuke-kun...h-help me, _please_."

A laugh, cruel and dark, was what greeted the terrified young girl's ears. Against her better judgment Sakura forced her eyes to search out the source and gazed up at the man who still had a hold of her pink strands.

Malicious yellow eyes peered down at her, pinning Sakura to a single spot, and a mocking smirk was etched on their owners face.

"Foolish girl, Sasuke's in no position to save anyone. He can't even save himself. But don't worry, your death doesn't interest me in any way."

He saw the hope in her eyes, and decided to crush it. "However I will have to teach you a lesson in manners; it's very rude to interrupt someone's conversation."

What little hope there was in Sakura's eyes flickered out like a candle, and was replaced by a look of pain as her hair was pulled. The young kunoichi's body was lifted up off the dirt, and then knocked back into a tree by a fist to the stomach.

Orochimaru once again began to move, and this time, Sakura started to cry.

It was only seconds after her run-in with the tree that Sakura felt a sandal press down on her head, and shove her face into the dirt. Her tears began to flow faster, and the terrified young genin couldn't hold back her sobs of fear.

The Sannin that had her pinned down looked at his prey in a mixture of amusement and disgust. Even Anko hadn't cried the day he revealed his dark nature. This girl was pathetic.

"As a shinobi it disgusts me that someone like you wears a headband, and has the audacity to call yourself a ninja. You are a disgrace."

To emphasize his point, Orochimaru reared his leg back, and then planted a kick right into Sakura's forehead. The sniveling kunoichi's body snapped up and back, doing a complete flip, before being caught by the neck.

Green met yellow as Sakura stared into the eyes of her tormentor.

"I think I've changed my mind," Orochimaru said as he pulled a kunai from his holster. "You're too much of a stain on the title of 'shinobi' to be allowed to live."

But just as the pale Sannin angled his weapon for the kill, a heavy mist began to permeate the night air.

Dropping the weak kunoichi to the ground, Orochimaru laughed delightedly at this turn of events.

"You're much more clever than I gave you credit for boy. Now, let us see if __you__ can provide me with some entertainment."

All was silent for a moment, and the raven-haired man almost thought his opponent had used the mist as a cover to rescue his team-mates, but then he looked down and saw that the girl was still at his feet. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, the older man called out, "Or perhaps, you're stuck, trembling in fear like your weak little friend."

More silence, and then...

"...Eight points."

It echoed throughout the entirety of the mist. The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, impossible to pinpoint.

"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, sub-clavian artery, kidneys... _heart_."

Orochimaru stepped away from the pink-haired girl at his feet and began to traverse the mist. "All points that, if struck, cause a fatal wound. Very good. But what good will the knowledge do you if you can't hit your target?"

"I'm not like those other two," the voice echoed through the dense fog.

"So you say," the Sannin jests, "but you have yet to prove yourself more than just a frightened mouse, hiding away in his hole."

A faint, almost imperceptible, whirling was Orochimaru's only warning to the oncoming first strike. But it was enough. And soon, the long-haired shinobi held out his hand, and caught the blade that came spinning towards him with the intent to lop off his head.

"Please, not this trick again. I watched your fight with Ranmaru boy, so you'll have to do better than that."

"I did."

In a puff of smoke the __Kubikiribocho__ Orochimaru was holding disappeared, and was replaced by Naruto, who used his free arm to swing his sword in an upward arc. He was rewarded with a splash of blood as his zanbato sliced through flesh.

"Aaargh!"

Orochimaru stumbled back, his years of experience and superior skill allowing him to escape with only a slight gash. _'_ _ _Damn it, how could I let that happen!?'__

Looking up from his wound, the Sannin's snake-like eyes found no trace of the blonde swordsman. He'd escaped back into his mist.

"You'd better have enjoyed that lucky shot," he called out into the hazy void, "because it's the only one you'll get."

A sound from above allowed the legendary shinobi to be ready for the ax-kick that came down on him. Orochimaru threw up one arm to block it, then used the other to grab Naruto's leg and slam him to the ground...only for him to erupt into smoke.

But the assault didn't stop there.

Shuffling of the ground behind him alerted Orochimaru of an attempt at his blind spot. The older male used his advanced speed to easily move out of the way; and over towards a paper bomb. An explosion of fire and smoke sent the Sannin staggering back, unready for the sweep-kick that came from behind and knocked his feet out from under him.

But he did manage to catch himself in the air, and then spin into an ax-kick of his own, which he slammed down hard on his blonde opponent's head. He was rewarded with another clone.

Standing at his full height, Orochimaru reprimanded himself for being so careless. It should have been obvious that the attack on his blind spot was a ruse; the boy had used it as a diversion to set the paper-bomb.

 _ _'This little brat, he's a crafty one, I'll give him that. But let's see how he does out in the open, without his mist to protect him!'__

With that thought in mind, Orochimaru gathered his chakra and then sent it out in a purple wave. The mist was blown away, and the forest became clear again. Looking around, the Sannin immediately noticed something.

His original target was gone. The blonde had distracted Orochimaru long enough so that his clones could get Sasuke and his other team-mate away from the battlefield.

The legendary shinobi was angry, and yet, he also found himself...amused. He hadn't gotten a very good hunt out of Sasuke, and this kid was turning out to be more interesting than he'd first thought.

The pale rogue chuckled darkly to himself before leaping into the trees.

The hunt was on.

It didn't take him long to find them. With his speed there wasn't any possibility of them escaping, and Orochimaru soon came upon the trio of genin hiding in the brush of a tree.

 _ _'Or at least, what looks like a squad of brats.'__

The Sannin pulled out more kunai from his stolen holster and chucked them at the younger ninja. Sure enough, they exploded in a powerful combination of __**shadow-clone**__ _s_ moke and paper-bombs. The kid was definitely creative, that's for sure.

 _ _'Now then,'__ he thought as his yellow eyes looked around, __'that means he's near by. No doubt the boy was hoping to use the explosion as an opening to attack.'__

And sure enough, up in the trees that overlooked his position, Naruto sat with his team-mate's.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

"I should have known he wouldn't fall for that again," Naruto growled low to himself.

It had been a bit of a desperate move on his part, but the blonde figured it never hurt to try. Looking over at his team though, the bandaged genin knew he had to do something soon, or risk failing the exam.

Sasuke was still in a catatonic state, staring at nothing, and Sakura wouldn't stop trembling. Things weren't looking good.

"Hey, teme, wake up already," Naruto tried goading his raven-haired team-mate into action. "Come on you idiot, I don't wanna have to fight this guy myself, he managed to blow away my whole mist and he's acting like the chakra drain didn't even...phase...him."

 _ _'Wait,'__ the blonde thought to himself, _'_ _ _how do I know that? My clones were the only ones there after I picked up these two, so why do I remember him dispersing my mist, and destroying my clones?'__

Unfortunately, the curious blonde didn't get anymore time to think about the strange memories because his ears were soon greeted by the frightening sound of the snake Sannin's voice.

"Found you."

Blue eyes swiveled to search out where the voice came from, and nearly popped out of their owner's skull at what they saw. Orochimaru riding atop a giant snake!

"W-What in the world!?"

The pale-faced shinobi laughed at his prey's fear and replied, "Do you think you're the only one in the world who has mastered the clone jutsu boy? As my creator sped off to find you he created me to help him search, and now that I've found you..."

"...Play-time is over," came the same voice, only from the opposite side. Naruto looked to his left, and was floored to see __another__ giant snake eyeing him and his team like lunch.

"I don't get it," Naruto called out in an attempt to stall for time, "what is someone like you even doing here!? What do you want!?"

The twin Sannin's chuckled, as if the blonde had just told a joke, before answering, "Simple, I'm here for Sasuke. I have a... _ _gift__ I'd like to give him that I think he'll appreciate."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He didn't like Sasuke, but he couldn't very well let a rogue ninja give him whatever this gift was, it may become a problem later. So, looking back and forth between the two snakes, Naruto voiced his response.

"Sorry, but even though I don't much care for the teme, I can't let that happen."

Orochimaru peered down at the blonde swordsman with humor in his yellow eyes. "Then all you do is invite your own death."

With that, the two snake summons charged forward, mouths open wide and ready to take a bite.

In response Naruto created three clones. Two of them locked their blades with the snake's fangs, and he and the third clone launched themselves at the two Orochimaru's.

As he moved through the air Naruto pulled __Kubikiribocho__ from his back and angled it for a swing. Once he got close enough, the Nine-Tail's _jinchuuriki_ brought the large butcher knife-like zanbato around in a horizontal slash.

When his opponent jumped back to avoid it though, Naruto let the momentum of his swing take hold and buried his sword into the skull of the snake summon below him.

In a large cloud of smoke the reptile disappeared, freeing one of Naruto's clones to help him.

"No," he cried out while keeping is eyes on Orochimaru, "stay there and defend the others. See if you can snap that teme out of his little pity party."

Once his orders were given, the blonde genin settled int his stance, and simply stared at his superior opponent. With the snake gone, the two were once again standing atop the branch of a tree.

"I must say, you have certainly proved yourself to be far more entertaining than either of your two team-mate's, but like I told Sasuke, you haven't even seen a fraction of my __true__ power."

And just like that Naruto was placed under the same pressure that brought Sasuke to his knees earlier that night. What amazed the Sannin, was the fact that the blonde was still standing. Yes, his legs shook from the effort, but the blonde managed to remain on his feet.

 _ _'This boy...what is he?'__

Knowing that producing anymore pressure would draw the attention of any shinobi beyond the forest's area, Orochimaru chose instead to allow his power to recede, and settled for drawing his __Kusanagi__ from the depths of his throat.

"You swing that sword with more skill than any genin I've seen; now let's see how you fare against real competition."

Almost too fast for Naruto to see Orochimaru rushed forward.

It took all the blonde's speed to bring up his own blade in time, and meet his opponent's longsword in a clash of steel. Then, quick as a flash, the snake Sannin pulled back and went for a leg-sweep. Naruto leaped over this, then dug his own sword into the bark of the tree, and used it to twist and launch a kick at Orochimaru's face.

Orochimaru used his forearm to block the strike, and then thrust his own blade at Naruto's chest.

Naruto's body was replaced with a hunk of timber when the _Kusanagi_ pierced his heart, and the blonde popped up a few feet above the serpent-like Sannin, where he brought down his large sword in an attempt to split Orochimaru down the middle.

The sound of steel clashing rang through the forest as zanbato met longsword in a stalemate.

Konoha's rogue-Sannin heaved his blonde opponent away, but then had to slide away when Naruto stabbed his large blade in an attempt to skewer him.

It was when he missed that Naruto surprised his stronger adversary. With a strength and speed that outclassed any normal genin, the blonde swung the flat of his zanbato and smashed Orochimaru in the back.

The blow connected, and the pale swordsmen was sent rolling back. Naruto attempted to rush forward, but was forced to stop when the older male shot a mouthful of snakes at him. Once again thrusting his sword into the tree, Naruto used it as a stepping stone to jump over the oncoming torrent of reptiles, and use his air time to preform hand-signs.

" _ _ **Water-style: Exploding-Water Shockwave**__ _ **!**_ "

A high-powered jet of water shot out of the blonde genin's mouth and straight at Orochimaru. And although the man managed to avoid the deadly blast, he watched in amazement as his younger opponent displayed enough power to punch a clean hole straight through the tree's thick branch.

The Sannin didn't have long to be impressed though, because he was soon throwing up his __Kusanagi__ in a defensive block as Naruto came down with his executioner's blade. Yellow eyes widened further when he saw a __**Great Fire-ball jutsu**__ hurtling towards them.

As he leaped away, Orochimaru looked to where the attack had come from, and almost couldn't believe it when he saw a blonde sill holding their hands in the __tiger__ seal.

 _ _'He can perform Fire__ _ **and**_ _ _Water style techniques!?'__

 _It wasn't often you find a genin who could manipulate one element, let alone_ _ _two__ _._

 _ _'And yet this boy managed to create one of that size? No genin should be this advanced; his chakra reserves are far too large for him to be a simple low-level shinobi. The only people this young, with reserves like that, are...ah. Now it makes sense.'__

Orochimaru stationed himself along the trunk of another tree, so as to place distance between himself and the blonde. Looking over the boy and his recovered clone, the Sannin called out, "It took me longer than I'm proud to admit, but I've finally figured it out. Why you're so much more powerful than any normal genin. You possess the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Naruto glared up at the pale-faced shinobi. "And what if I do? I don't suppose that's enough to scare away a guy like you?"

"Of course not," the rogue-ninja replied. "It just makes this all the more interesting; especially since you have yet to even tap into the beast's power."

"I'm more interested in where I stand against you by myself right now," Naruto slung __Kubikiribocho__ up and angled it straight at Orochimaru. "We can worry about my furry friend later."

And with that the blonde pushed off the ground and shot towards his opponent.

Only to use a __**water-shockwave**__ to push himself back, and avoid being caught in a hail of snakes.

Once back on solid ground Naruto looked over to where the attack had come from, and not for the first time, was unprepared for what he saw. Anko.

"I finally found you...Orochimaru-sensei."

Blue eyes bugged out at that revelation, and Naruto was silently thankful his bandages hid his open mouth from view. The blonde looked back and forth between the Special-Jounin and the Sannin, trying his best to take this news in.

 _ _'Unbelievable.'__

Anko turned her pupil-less brown eyes to the blonde that stood a few branches below her, the woman's face was set in a stern, but curious stare. Had Naruto really just been going up against her old teacher?

"Ah Anko-chan, what a pleasant surprise," the Sannin's voice cut through her thoughts, turning her attention back to the more important matter at hand. "Although I can't help wondering, just how did you know I was here?"

The purple-haired kunoichi glared at her old Jounin instructor and replied, "Easy, you left your mess behind. You never were very good at cleaning up after yourself sensei. From there, I headed into the forest, and just as I was getting settled in for the night I sensed you showboating. It was a piece of cake to track you after that."

Orochimaru eyed his two opponent's.

The Kyubi kid by himself wasn't really a problem, but if he were teamed with Anko, he would have to stop playing so much and that risked exposure. Being careless was __not__ an option against the purple-haired woman; not when she knew _t_ _ _hat__ jutsu.

So instead, he chose the easy way out.

 _'_ _ _It will also give me time to mark my prize.'__

The legendary shinobi placed his hand in an 'activation' seal, and almost instantly, Anko screamed out in pain before dropping to her knees.

"Anko!" Naruto cried out before leaping towards the downed woman.

 _ _'Just like I thought,'__ Orochimaru thought before he bolted from his perch. __'Sasuke Uchiha is mine now!'__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

While the snake Sannin rushed off to complete his goal, Naruto was busy trying to aid the purple-haired woman that had come to __his__ aid just moments before.

"Anko, are you alright, what happened?"

The woman only moaned in agony while clutching her neck area. Naruto knelt down beside her and reached out his hand, placing it over the older woman's "Anko I can't do anything if you don't show me what's wrong."

Anko managed to pull herself together enough to reply through gritted teeth, "There's nothing you can do gaki...there's nothing anyone can do."

With that, she pulled her hand away, and revealed what had caused her so much pain.

A black dot, surrounded by three tomoe. It was a seal.

"W-What is that thing?"

The purple-haired kunoichi's pain seemed to have lessened greatly, because no longer were her eyes filled with physical pain, but instead overflowing with emotional pain.

"It's a curse seal. A jutsu developed by that bastard Orochimaru, and a slave collar for anyone who he decides to place it on."

Blue eyes widened with realization as their owner recalled something Orochimaru had told him earlier. Something about a __gift__ for Sasuke. "Damn it!"

Pupil-less brown eyes peered up at the irate blonde, "What, what's wrong?"

"I know what he was doing here...he's going to put that thing on Sasuke."

"Damn it," Anko cursed. "I should have known, that slithery bastard's always had an unhealthy obsession with jutsu, it makes sense he'd be after the only kid left with eyes that let you copy everything you see."

Naruto reached out and placed the older woman's arm over his shoulder. When she tried to pull away, he simply held tighter and said, "Anko please, let me help you. Whatever that teme did to you seriously wore you out, I can see it, you shouldn't be moving on your own yet."

Anko looked over at the younger shinobi, her eyes searching for something. When they either found, or didn't find, what they were looking for the woman sighed.

"Alright gaki, I'll let you help me," she sent him an annoyed look, "but if you tell anyone about this I'll pound you into paste."

The blonde's response was to chuckle lightly at her threat, before leaping off from the tree they'd been stationed on, and making their way towards where Naruto knew his team-mate's to hopefully be.

It didn't take them very long to get there, but when they did, the two shinobi immediately knew that they'd been too late. Sasuke was curled up in the fetal position, hand clawing at his neck, and a crying Sakura huddled over him while he screamed.

The pink-haired girl seemed to notice them through her tears, because she turned her head and wailed, "H-He did something to Sasuke-kun. I don't know what, b-but he bit him, and then...and then Sasuke-kun just collapsed and started screaming.

Naruto and Anko looked at each other, before turning back to look at Sakura. "Move his hand Sakura, we need to see something."

Distraught and confused, the kunoichi did as she was asked. After fighting her love's strong grip Sakura finally managed to pull the raven-haired boy's hand from his skin; what she saw made her gasp, and the other two ninja grit their teeth.

There, just behind Sasuke's shoulder, was the exact same seal that Anko had been branded with.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Karin stared at the gates to the Forest of Death with a forlorn expression on her face.

She'd failed the second exam.

Both of her team-mate's had died against one of the creatures in the forest, an inhumanly large bear, which meant she was not allowed to continue on even though she'd managed to secure both scrolls.

It was so unfair!

Not that she didn't care about the loss of her team-mate's, but, she'd taken these exams for the opportunity of getting away from them honestly. For the chance to be promoted, and be allowed to prove she was more than just a face with glasses. But that wasn't happening now.

Only one thing made it all worthwhile. She'd met the blonde boy that had interested her.

His name was Naruto.

Naruto was the reason she had survived the encounter with the bear instead of winding up like her fellow Kusa genin. He'd swooped down with his zanbato and jammed the blade right between the gargantuan carnivores eyes.

The monstrous beast thrashed around in pain for a while, its thick hide not easily penetrated, before finally succumbing to its injury and dropping to the dirt unconscious. Naruto then made a point of gouging out the animals eyes.

Karin, shocked, questioned why the blonde had done that when the animal had already been defeated. His response surprised her.

 _ _'It was a choice between a quick, painless death in its sleep or a slow, agonizing one for another seven days.'__

The bear was already going to die from the wound in his skull, so why let it suffer.

And as he said this, Karin saw how the full moon penetrated the forests treetops and surrounded the blonde like an ethereal halo. His blue eyes pinning her in place with their seemingly glowing gaze.

Karin was sure she was blushing by the way her face heated up as she looked at him.

From there the red-haired girl introduced herself, and got her hero's name in return. When she asked why he'd saved her the blonde had said that he was looking for his own squad, but when Naruto noticed her in trouble it just seemed like the right thing to do, and so he stopped and intervened.

Then, Karin sorrowfully explained her own predicament to Naruto, and asked what she should do.

He told her to open one of the scrolls.

This confused her, so he'd explained. One of the rules was that you couldn't open a scroll until you made it to the tower, otherwise, you were automatically disqualified. The blonde questioned her how the proctor could possibly know when a scroll was opened, and when she couldn't answer Naruto told her.

They were being watched.

If a team opened their scroll somehow the shinobi in the tower would know, and then send ninja to collect them, therefor disqualifying that team.

Karin had been unsure at first, but one look in Naruto's eyes told her she could trust him, even if they were from separate villages. So, accepting his advice, she bid the blonde genin goodbye, offering her Earth scroll as thanks for saving her.

Naruto took it, seeing as she was being disqualified anyway, and wished her a safe trip home before leaping back into the trees. What the blonde didn't know was that he wasn't leaving with just Karin's Earth scroll, but her heart as well.

 _ _'I just hope we get to see each other again one day,'__ she thought bashfully as she was lead away from the Forest of Death.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: Anyways, This chapter shows just how much farther ahead Naruto is than Sasuke right now in terms of skill, as well as raw power, since Naruto was still standing during Orochimaru's little display.**_**

 ** _ **That gap will close to some degree after Sasuke starts training with Kakashi for the finals. But for now, Naruto is beyond Sasuke.**_**

 ** _ **The next chapter isn't going to be like in the series. Naruto's team won't be facing Dosu's team. The reason for this is because Naruto is still conscious, and with the version I've created, the Oto ninja wouldn't stand a chance. So instead, their next appearance will be during the preliminaries.**_**

 ** _ **And speaking of those, I'm gonna try not to have that be drawn out. Only a few of the matches actually matter for my story, so I'm gonna try and only focus on them.**_**

 ** _ **Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this surprise 'quick' update. Don't forget to review, or PM me with questions, comments, or anything like that.**_**


	9. Chapter 9

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch. 9- Rest, Recoup, and...Preliminaries!?**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Two pairs of eyes; one blue, the other brown, stared in disgust at the hideous black mark that was imprinted on Sasuke's neck.

"Damn it," the owner of the blue pair cursed.

Naruto was upset that he'd allowed Orochimaru the opportunity to get within marking distance of his raven-haired team-mate.

 _ _'But then, judging from the power I felt coming off that monster, there wouldn't have been anything I could have done to stop him anyway if he'd been fighting seriously.'__

"This isn't good," Anko growled from beside the blonde genin. The Special-Jounin hung off of Naruto's shoulder, her body still drained from fighting off the effects of her own curse mark.

Sakura, who was still kneeling down beside a pain-stricken Sasuke, heard the older kunoichi and immediately asked, "Why? Anko-san what's wrong with Sasuke-kun; what did Orochimaru do to him?"

Before the woman could answer though, Sasuke let out a particularly loud wail, "Aahhrrgh!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to young Uchiha heir as he rolled around on the large branch in agony. The __Sharingan__ wielder clutched his neck tight, as if getting ready to rip away the section of skin causing him so much pain.

Anko noticed this and quickly called out, "Quick, pull his hand away from there!"

Sakura jumped at the loud order, but none the less did as she was told. With trembling hands the pink-haired girl gripped her loves own shaking one and gently pried his fingers away.

"His hands...they're on fire!"

"From what I can remember that's normal for the first stage," Anko replied. "He's going to have an intense fever for a while; and if he lives through that, the kid's gonna wish that was all he had to put up with."

" _If_ he lives!?"

The purple-haired kunoichi sent the younger girl a glare. "Did I stutter?"

"B-But Anko-san I don't understand; what _is_ this thing? What's it doing to Sasuke-kun, and why does it sound like it might kill him!?"

"Because it just might," was the superior's answer.

Then, Anko turned her attention to Naruto and asked," Do you and your team have both scrolls? Because if not, you'll unfortunately be disqualified once we reach the tower."

"We do," was the blonde's quick response. "I'm guessing you wanna tell the old man about this?"

Anko nodded, "Yeah, he needs to know that Orochimaru was, and still might be, here. And there's also the matter of seeing what he can do about the kid's new little tattoo; if this is a newer version, then there might be a way to actually undo it."

"Alright."

And with that, Naruto created a clone and had it settle the fevered Uchiha on its back.

Sakura, seeing that they were getting ready to head out, stood on her feet and wiped the tears from her emerald-green eyes. Sniffling, she sent a hopeful smile in the other two ninja's direction and said, "If anybody can help Sasuke-kun it's Lord Hokage. I'm sure he'll be just fine."

Brown and blue eyes peered at each other in concern before the group began their trek towards the central tower.

What would Sakura do if Sasuke _didn't_ make it?

 ** _ **xXx**_**

They made it to the tower quickly; many of the teams had stopped for the night, leaving them a clear window. And with Anko's knowledge of the terrain, it was easy to navigate through the dark.

Once they were about to exit the main area of the forest the purple-haired woman called a stop. Naruto eyed her warily, thinking she was still worn out from being subjected to her seal, while Sakura looked antsy.

"What is it, what's wrong?" the pinkette questioned.

"Nothing. In fact, it's what's __right__ that caused me to order a halt." She turned to look at the genin that had helped move her through the forest, "You can let me make the rest of the way by myself gaki, I'm definitely okay enough to walk."

"Are you sure Anko? I don't mind-"

"I know you don't," the Special-Jounin cut him off. "And I appreciate the help, but, there's no way I'm going in there sung over the shoulder of a genin."

The blonde's response was to give her a look of annoyed disbelief.

Anko gave Naruto a playful glare, "Don't give me that look short-stack. It's nothing against you personally; I'm a __Jounin__. How do you think it'll look to the other shinobi in the tower if we go in there with me all slung over your shoulder? Especially me being a kunoichi; it'd be bad for my reputation."

Blue eyes lit with understanding. "Oh, right, okay Anko."

And so the two ninja untangled themselves. At first, the older woman almost thought she'd have no choice but to re-accept the blonde Uzumaki's aid, but with a deep breath, Anko managed to pull enough of herself together to where the Special-Jounin felt help wouldn't be needed.

From there, the group walked the remaining few yards to the tower, and upon entering were confronted by a large scroll hanging along the main wall. As Sakura began to read it though, Anko stopped her.

"That's not important right now little girl, we need to open those scrolls __now__."

Sakura looked at the superior shinobi with trepidation, "B-But you said-"

"Oh for crying out loud!"

Anko pulled the Heaven scroll from the pinkette's hand, which had been given to her during the trip, and then motioned for Naruto to pull out the Earth scroll he had. "Alright, now once we crack their seals we're gonna throw them on the ground, got it?"

When Naruto nodded his affirmative the proceeded to do as she'd said, and once the two pieces of rolled parchment hit the ground, a huge plume of smoke appeared. They had summoned something.

Or rather, __someone__ _._

Once the smoke cleared away, the group was met with the sight a Iruka standing proudly before them with a big grin on his face. Although, that soon turned into a distressed look of shock when he saw the state his former students were in, as well as their company.

"You guys, what happened!? And Anko, what are you doing with them; I thought outside help was forbidden?"

"Explanations later scar-face, right now, I need you to report to the Hokage and tell him to get down here immediately. Tell him That it's urgent, and if he give you any drivel about the 'rules of the exams' then tell him that that kind of thinking might cost this village its last _Sharingan_ user."

While at first he was miffed about the 'scar-face' comment, Iruka caught the tail end of his superiors order. Once look at a writhing Sasuke, and the chunin's face set like stone as he shunshin away to carry out his orders.

Once he was gone, Anko turned her attention back to Naruto.

"Alright gaki, I want your clone to take the Uchiha whelp to the infirmary; it's through those doors at the end of the hall," she pointed to a pair of brown double doors over on the far right. "After that, just make sure you're easy to find for when the Hokage finally gets here."

"What about you Anko?"

The Special-Jounin ran her hand across her face, before rubbing her eyes and replying, "I'm gonna go see if I can catch a nap before the old man gets here. I'm more ragged out than I thought."

And with that, the woman followed Iruka's lead and exited via shunshin, leaving Team 7 alone.

Sakura took this moment to vent her frustrations and to ask questions.

"What kind of Jounin is she? Shouldn't she have taken us to the infirmary herself instead of walking off to take a nap?"

"Sakura," Naruto interjected, " _be quiet_. Anko had a rough time out in the forest; worse than anything you'll probably ever go through, so leave it alone. If she's tired, let her rest, and stop needing someone to hold your hand everywhere."

With that, the blonde motioned for his clone to carry Sasuke to the infirmary before he himself went in the opposite direction.

Sakura noticed this as she followed his clone and called out, "Hey wait, where are you going Naruto?"

"I told you," he replied over his shoulder, "I'm hungry. Just because the teme's got a new tattoo doesn't change that."

Then, before Sakura could berate the young blonde, he walked through a separate set of double doors and was gone. The pinkette decided to simply glare at the Uzumaki's clone, and then huff and walk towards the medical facility.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

After making his exit Naruto concentrated his senses on finding the cafeteria; going so far as to apply chakra to his nose. With this boost, it didn't take the blonde more than a moment to sniff out the scent of food.

"Just because I __can__ go a few days without food, doesn't mean I like it," he muttered before slinking through the halls.

It was a few minutes before Naruto found his way to the food hall. But once he arrived, the young jinchuuriki decided it was more than worth the walk. The delightful smell of rice and chicken greeted his senses, and made the genin's mouth water. He loved chicken.

Naruto quickly strode up to the serving line and received his plate. Alongside the rice and chicken the blonde spotted a pile of vegetables; he grimaced. In spite of everything, the Uzumaki boy still couldn't get the pro's of eating the ground-grown food to outweigh their unsavory taste.

Once he had his share of food, the blonde looked around at where to sit; the choice was made for him by a waving brunette with buns in her hair.

"Hey Ten-Ten," Naruto greeted politely as he came upon her team's table.

The girl in question gave a friendly smile before replying, "Hi Naruto; glad to see you managed to make it through the forest. And so fast too." She motioned for him to sit.

Naruto pulled __Kubikiribocho__ from its strap and leaned it against the table, "Yeah, it only took us most of...yesterday to get the scroll we needed."

The bandaged genin had checked the clock, and noticed that it had entered into the second day of testing.

"Really? That's impressive; who'd you take it from?"

"From some punk named Ranmaru," the blonde said through a mouthful of rice. Across the table, Neji gave Naruto a disgusted look before picking lightly at his own food. Naruto glared at the Hyuga boy and asked, "You got something you wanna say pretty boy?"

"Nothing that an uncivilized mongrel like you would understand," the white-eyed genin snarked coolly.

Naruto's jaw tensed. But before he could make a comeback Ten-Ten intervened. " _So_ , what was this Ranmaru guy like? Did he have a special jutsu he was known for yet?"

"Actually," the blonde bit out, "he wielded a _tetsubo_ , and pretty much said that ninja who only use jutsu aren't real shinobi...right before using a wind-style technique."

The guy's choice of weapon caught the bun-haired girl's attention, as she had yet to get a hold of one, so she asked, "What was it like; fighting against a _tetsubo_ I mean."

"Not too sure really; I never personally clashed steel with the guy. My clone did once, as part of a distraction, but other than that nothing. I used my __**Hidden-Mist jutsu**__ throughout the entire fight."

"Oh, well that's a little disappointing," Ten-Ten sighed, "he must not have been very skilled with it then. I hear that you can make it so the spikes eject from the base, so they can be shot from a medium-range distance. Guess I'll never really know."

That confused Naruto.

"Why not? Can't you just buy one from one of the shops around the village?"

Ten-Ten shook her head. "No. The war club isn't native to the Land of Fire; it has to be purchased in either Earth or Wind. Our native weapons are all blades."

"Oh," Naruto looked down at his half-eaten plate. "Sorry I didn't think to bring it; I didn't have anywhere to put it."

"You don't know basic sealing?"

The blonde's response was a shake of the head.

"Then I guess I'll have to show you how, so that something like this doesn't happen again. Wouldn't want you to come across Ameyuri and have to leave __Kiba__ behind because you had no way to bring it back."

While the prospect of learning sealing intrigued Naruto, there was something that had nagged at him since their last talk.

"How are you so sure I'll run into this Ameyuri anyway Ten-Ten? You make it sound like it's just gonna happen."

The bun-haired girl finished the last of her chicken before replying, "It's because, each of the Seven Swordsmen keeps tabs on their fellow members; just like any other group. They would need to know when and if somebody dies, so that they can find a replacement, or test the one who defeated that member to see if they deserve the honor of wielding their former comrade's blade."

Naruto hummed in understanding, and went to say something else, but was interrupted by the appearance of Anko; who had just arrived through the cafeteria doors.

"Hey gaki, the Hokage's here, I need you to come with me to report on what happened."

Naruto nodded before getting up from the table and returning his broadsword to its place. Turning to Ten-Ten, the blonde gave a small apologetic smile and said, "Sorry about the interruption. We can talk more later, okay?"

Ten-Ten just gave a reassuring grin and motioned for him to go. "Yeah, sounds good."

Seeing as he had the okay, Naruto turned his attention back to Anko and waited for her to lead the way.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The two shinobi made their way quickly towards the administrative part of the central tower. Once they entered into the room Naruto and Anko were greeted with the sight of their Hokage sitting in his makeshift desk with Kakashi and Iruka standing on either side of him.

Anko bowed to her leader and greeted him respectfully, "Lord Hokage, I've retrieved genin Uzumaki for his part of the report."

"Thank you Anko," the elderly ninja replied, "Naruto's input is imperative for us to take any further action against Orochimaru." Hiruzen turned his hardened eyes to the blonde in the room and motioned for him to proceed with his report.

Naruto stepped forward and began to speak. He explained how he had been drawn away from his team-mates by Orochimaru's underling and how he dispatched the enemy ninja; too the shock of most of the shinobi present. After that, the blonde told of how he caught up with Orochimaru and his team, and then Naruto gave his superiors a play-by-play of his skirmish with the legendary genius.

"Wait," Iruka stopped him as Naruto got to the part where Anko had intervened, "you know water __and__ fire style? You have opposite chakra natures?"

Blue eyes crinkled in confusion as Naruto asked, "Um, Iruka-sensei what are you talking about? Chakra nature? Can't a ninja use any jutsu by just weaving the hand-signs and putting chakra into the technique?"

His response was a number of shocked and surprised looks. It was the Hokage, who looked over at Kakashi with annoyance, that broke the short silence.

"Kakashi, why haven't you had your students find out their chakra natures yet? It's especially surprising considering your adventures in Wave; where you encountered a shinobi with duel affinities."

Kakashi for his part just gave his patented eye-smile and said, "Well, Lord Hokage, It just sort of...slipped my mind."

"So you mean to tell me that you taught your student a C-rank and D-ranked water jutsu as well as another which happened to be a Jounin-level B-rank? And, on top of that, he was taught a fire-"

"Actually," Naruto jumped in, "sorry old man but, Kakashi-sensei didn't teach me the __**Great-Fireball jutsu**__ , I taught that to myself."

Iruka eyed his former student with surprise and pride. Gone was the trouble-making loudmouth it seemed, and in his place was a young man who was willing to do whatever it took to succeed as a shinobi; even if it meant learning a jutsu that may not even be in alignment with his chakra nature.

In the scarred chunin's eyes, there seemed to be no doubt that Naruto would indeed be Konoha's next Hokage.

Anko seemed to share a similar sentiment, as she slapped a hearty hand across the blonde's back and laughed with mirth. "You're a riot, you know that gaki? Not even a chunin yet and already playing around with different chakra natures; and their opposites to boot."

"I don't get it," Naruto questioned, "what did I do?"

"Kakashi will explain to you later Naruto, for now, would you please get back to your report? We've gotten far too side-tracked." Hiruzen ordered lightly.

The blonde's brows rose in realization before his face settled back into a serious look. "You're right, sorry old man. Anyways, after Anko showed up, Orochimaru activated this seal that she has on her neck before taking off to find Sasuke. He knew that I would take care of a fellow Leaf shinobi before chasing after an enemy."

"And that's when my old student gave the young Uchiha his curse seal," finished the Hokage.

"That's right," confirmed the Uzumaki.

Hiruzen steepeld his fingers in front of his mouth and hummed lightly in concentration. The room was blanketed in silence for a time before Iruka finally asked, "Lord Hokage, w-what do you intend to do?"

"Unfortunately, at this moment, we can't do anything about Orochimaru. He's always been a master of concealing himself, so it's highly unlikely that we'll find him, and I'd rather not cancel the exams without some measure of assurance that we'll catch him."

Anko raised her hand to signal that she had something to say.

Her village leader nodded for her to voice her thoughts and so she said, "We don't have to cancel the exams Lord Hokage, but, I think it'd be a good idea to pull the Uchiha from the exams. It's obvious that my old teacher's goal is to get his hands on the kids _Sharingan_ , and there's no telling what that new curse seal may do to him during the final test, so I believe it'd be best if the genin didn't participate."

"Hmm," the Hokage mumbled. "I see your point Anko. However, if we __do__ bar him from competing, we'll more than likely be forced to place a small platoon of Anbu as his guard until they are over. Orochimaru, as you said, is aiming for the Uchiha's kekkei genkai and so no doubt he has a hole somewhere near by where he's waiting for the right time to pilfer it. If we give him a guard, that would do little to stand in his way, and ultimately cost us a number of skilled ninja."

The snake mistress could see where this was going and sighed, "So then you're going to allow him to continue."

It wasn't a question, she already knew the answer.

"Yes. At least so long as young Sasuke doesn't show any signs of the seal taking control of his actions."

He saw the disagreement in is subordinates brown orbs and it prompted him to say, "I know how you feel about Orochimaru and that seal Anko, but I believe the best course of action is going to be keeping Sasuke in the exams."

Anko wanted to argue, but managed to hold her tongue. He was the Hokage, and in a ninja village, his word was law.

"In any case, I think this may give us an idea as to what young Kabuto has been compiling that information for; it's very likely that he's a spy for Orochimaru."

"What would a Sannin want with skill assessments of a bunch of genin," asked Naruto.

The Hokage sighed, "Unfortunately that's classified information; something a genin has no jurisdiction knowing. But if it's for what I'm thinking, then we'll need to increase village security during the coming months. We'll say that it's to protect the incoming nobles."

"So we're basically doing nothing with the information we have," Naruto questioned in disbelief. "We're letting Sasuke participate with that weird hickey on his neck, and just letting Orochimaru go?"

"Before you came in," Kakashi interjected, "Lord Hokage sent for the worlds most renowned master of fuuinjutsu to come and take a look at Sasuke. If anyone can help, it'll be him."

Hiruzen nodded in silent agreement before finishing, "And there isn't much we __can__ do about Orochimaru at the moment Naruto. As I've already said, he's highly skilled in the art of concealing himself, we won't find him until it's either too late or he wants to be seen."

"So then what's left?"

"For the moment; we continue as we have been. The second exam will finish, and then we'll see whether or not we need a preliminary round before going on to the final stage."

That caught the blonde's attention. "Preliminaries?"

Anko decided to explain this part. "Yeah gaki, if too many people pass the second test then we need to hold a small tournament to help cut the numbers down to size. The main event is watched by a number of important dignitaries and feudal lords; they don't wanna be here all day, their only interested in seeing the best."

The more he thought about it, the more Naruto realized that made sense. And as he was dismissed from the Hokage's sub-command center, the blonde allowed his feet to simply carry him through the halls. Naruto wasn't sure how long he'd walked before a voice stopped him.

"Naruto Uzumaki I'm glad to see you made it through...this exam would have been a waste of time if you were killed off before I could feed mother your blood."

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: And there it is, chapter 12. Sorry I this one took a little longer than usual, but then you guys did get two chapters in the same day last time.**_**

 ** _ **Anyway, I don't really have much to say about this chapter really. Nothing too exciting happened. But I did have some more Naruto/Ten-Ten interaction, so at least there's that. Also, I addressed something that a few of you wanted me to do; which was have Naruto bring that war club back for Ten-Ten. I didn't, but as you can see, I set it up in a way that has them spend more time together.**_**

 ** _ **It just seemed like the better option.**_**

 ** _ **I addressed the chakra nature factor in this chapter, so now Naruto is one step closer to learning what his affinities are and how to augment them into his style.**_**

 ** _ **And finally: the affinities. Just because you don't have a certain type of chakra nature, doesn't mean you can't learn a technique, like how my Naruto know the fireball jutsu. It just means that you ave to expend more chakra, and train harder, to produce a decently powered version of a jutsu. I tried to hint at this during the beginning, as I was explaining what all Naruto had done in the month, but apparently that didn't sink in for that reviewer.**_**

 ** _ **I'm sorry, but, people who bash without having any works of their own just drive me crazy. Please don't let this keep you from reviewing the chapter, or the others that come after. I really do wanna hear from you guys; I just could have done without that guys sarcasm.**_**


	10. Chapter 10

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.10- Ready, set, go! Let the preliminaries begin!**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 _"_ _ _Naruto Uzumaki I'm glad to see you made it through...this exam would have been a waste of time if you were killed off before I could feed mother your blood."__

 _ _Said blonde turned at the sound of his own name, and his blue eyes immediately landed on the form of one Sabaku no Gaara. The red-head stood at the end of the hall, just before the next corner, with an air of complete calm.__

 _ _But Naruto could also feel the blood lust seeping out and filling the hall.__

 _ _Tensing his body, in case of a surprise attack, Naruto sarcastically replied, "Well I knew you'd be expecting me, and I just hate disappointing a fan. So, mind telling me what you're doing skulking around in the halls?"__

 _"_ _ _I could ask you the very same question Uzumaki."__

 _" _My Hokage wanted to congratulate me one passing the exams so quickly; I was just coming from his office. Your turn."__

 _"_ _ _Looking for you."__

 _ _Gaara's answer was short and to the point, but it made Naruto cautious. "And just what do you need from me?"__

 _"_ _ _To prove my existence to the world."__

 _ _Naruto was thrown for a loop when he heard this. And it was only made worse when the cork that capped off Gaara's gourd popped out, followed by a swift wave of sand shooting out, before it was aimed at the startled blonde.__

 _ _Ocean-blue eyes looked on, wide and filled with shock, as their owner was confronted by a beast made of sand flying towards him. The monsters' maw is wide open, and its diamond-shaped eyes bore into Naruto's very soul, as it roared at him.__

 _ _Then, finally, Naruto's will clicks in and his eyes harden; shock being immediately replaced by the fire of a budding warrior.__

 _ _Naruto reached behind him, feeling the familiar safety that came with holding__ _ _ **Kubikiribocho's**__ _ _handle, and then whipped the blade out in front ready to fight off the sand demon that was quickly making its way down the hall towards him.__

 _ _Not wanting to just stand at wait though the blonde let out a roar of his own, and then pushing off his right foot, ran forward to meet Gaara's attack head on.__

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he leaped into a battle stance the moment he could feel his legs. However, the blonde felt his heart leap into his throat when he didn't feel the familiar grip of __Kubikiribocho's__ handle.

 _ _'What the...oh,'__ Naruto let out a relieved sigh upon finding that he was inside the room granted to him during the chunin exams, and that his blade rested only about two feet away against the wall.

"So then it was just a dream."

 _ _'But not all of it,'__ thought Naruto as he moved over towards his clothes, intending to get dressed for the Hokage's announcement.

The remaining days of the second exam had come and gone, leaving the preliminaries to be all that was left to take care of before the third and final exam could be announced.

The blonde's dream was an exaggeration of his meeting with Gaara a few days ago. He'd left the Hokage's make-shift office and ran into the dangerous red-head in the halls.

Gaara had indeed been looking for him, but not so they could fight, just to make sure Naruto had indeed survived the Forest of Death. After very little word exchange, which included a veiled threat from the Suna ninja, the two shinobi went their separate ways.

And now, days later, it was time to begin the preliminaries.

Naruto knew that they'd be needed after counting up the number of shinobi who'd made it to the tower, but he was interested to know how the others would react to the news that not everyone who passed would go on to the final exam.

 _ _'But then, all those important clients aren't going to care about the bottom feeders. They're only interested in the sharks.'__ And it was this thought that pushed Naruto out the door and towards the indoors arena.

The walk wasn't very long, and within about ten minutes of making his way through the halls, Naruto found himself at the double doors that lead to the fighting area where the preliminaries would be taking place.

Placing his hand on the door, the blonde stopped himself, and allowed his eyes the opportunity to peer into the room and see just who his competition could be.

Almost immediately Naruto found Gaara; the boy's crimson mop-top an easy identifier. And then his blue eyes traveled over in Sasuke's direction, as well as Neji and Lee's.

In Naruto's opinion, those four were the ones who would give him the best chance to show off his skills.

 _ _'Now I just hope I don't have to face one of them in these knock-out rounds. The finals will be boring if there aren't enough high-level opponents.'__

As he thought this, the Uzumaki boy pushed open the doors and made his way inside. The sound of his entrance reached everyone's ears it seems, as the entire haul of shinobi turned to look at him. It was during this time that Naruto noticed the different reactions his presence received.

He noticed the smile on the elderly Hokage's face; the Sandaime was most likely relieved the blonde showed up on time. Next to him were both Anko and Kakashi-sensei, each with their own looks of approval on his timely appearance.

Ten-Ten sent the Uzumaki a smirk of her own; likely glad that she'd have a chance to battle him again.

Another kunoichi who was glad to see him Naruto realized was Hinata, who had a red tint in her cheeks and a grateful smile; as if she were thanking the gods above for his arrival.

But where there was positive, there was also negative, mainly from those who looked at the blonde as just either more competition; in the case of the Oto trio and Neji, or a nuisance that needed to just go away; in the case of the remaining competitors.

"Ah Naruto, so glad to see you up and able to join us," the Sandaime greeted him kindly. "A little more promptness next time though; the Daimyo won't be so inclined to forgive such disrespect."

For his part Naruto simply rubbed the back of his head and replied, "Yeah sorry about that, I had a hell of a dream and it was a doozy to fight my way out of it. I'll be sure to be on time for the finals."

With that the Hokage turned his attention back to the assembled crowd in front of him. Clearing his throat the elderly shinobi began to speak.

"Now, as I was saying, it's great to see so many promising young genin this year but as you've just heard me tell one of my own shinobi, there will be important clients coming to the finals. This means that we'll be cutting the current number of you in half."

This was met with cries of indignation and disbelief; how could they do this to them after all the hard work all the genin put in?

"I know many of you are upset," Anko intervened, "but those Daimyo and leaders won't be interested n seeing anything but the best; they also have their own lands to govern, so it'd be best that we don't keep them for too long."

Shikamaru rose his hand at this point, indicating he had a question, and when Anko gave him the go ahead he asked when the preliminaries would be taking place.

"That'll be done right now to give the finalists an entire month to train for the finals, as well as test the resolve of each and every one of you. Those of you who can't pull out a win in your current condition will just have to strengthen your skills and your will before trying again next time."

Now __this__ information nearly caused a riot with some of the genin present, but the feeling of the Third Hokage's chakra pressure settled them all quickly. Once he saw that no one would interrupt his next words, the elderly warrior began to speak again.

"Now then, you don't __have__ _t_ o take these preliminaries. If you feel that you aren't in any condition to fight simply raise your hand and we'll take down your name, then you'll be free to leave."

As he said this Hiruzen counted out the number of candidates; if nobody opted out then they'd be uneven matches, meaning someone would need to fight twice.

Thankfully, someone did quit. And the person who chose to cut loose strangely didn't surprise the old Kage.

"I guess that'll be me; I quit."

It was Kabuto.

The bespectacled youth had his gloved hand raised high in the air, making sure everyone could see that it was him who quit. Then, after Anko marked him off, the silver-haired genin made his exit. No one saw the conniving look in his eye, or the secret smirk that etched its way onto the Oto Jounin's face.

But even without those Anko and her Hokage still shared a look as they both thought the same thing. That was no coincidence; Kabuto had dropped out around the same time during each of his other tries.

While it may be normal for a genin not to make it on their first, or even second try, when you've taken the chunin exam six times any normal person would assume you'd simply give up being a shinobi by that point. This was beyond strange.

Unfortunately those thoughts and questions would have to be out on hold, as the preliminaries needed to get under way quickly to give everyone optimal time to rest. So, after clearing her voice, Anko went to speak again...only to stop as another Jounin appeared using _**shunshin**_.

"Lord Hokage, Anko-san, if you..(cough)...don't mind I'd like to be the one who explains the...(cough)...preliminaries."

Anko looked to her fellow Jounin with a worried look. Hayate had gotten an unfair deal in life; caught in a gas explosion during a sting at one of Orochimaru's hidden labs. The devious snake had been working with an experimental toxin and Hayate had breathed it in during the battle with Orochimaru's guards.

 _ _'And since only that bastard knew the compounds of the gas no one's been able to help Hayate. It's a sad bit really; he saves thousands of lives by ruining his own. I can still remember how hard Yugao took it when she heard the news.'__

And yet the swordsmen didn't let that stop him, never losing his place as Konoha's most powerful kenjutsu user...after _h_ _ _is__ mentor of course; the ever-feared Red Death. One of Konoha's most famous Anbu members.

With those thoughts filling her head Anko replied, "Of course Hayate; if you feel up to it I mean."

"I'm fine Anko-san...(cough)...but thank you for your concern."

The sickly-looking Jounin turned from the purple-haired woman to the group of genin and spoke again, "Now first off my name is Gekko Hayate and I...(cough)...will be the proctor for the preliminaries. Before we begin however, there are...(cough)...a few rules you all need to be made aware of."

From there the master swordsmen went on to explain that the matches would be done randomly using the match board that appeared behind him. Anything goes during the matches, including killing your opponent, but as proctor Hayate had the right to step in before anything too gruesome happened as well as if it looked like the fight was unfair. There was to be no outside help, and a match ended when someone gave up, was unconscious/unable to continue, or Hayate himself called it.

"Now, if there aren't any question, I'll proceed to the first matches selection." And as he said this the board above him began to race through the different names in its system, what it came out with was something interesting.

 _ **'**_ _ _ **Naruto Uzumaki VS Dosu Kinuta'**__

"(cough)...If all but the chosen fighters could exit the arena and head up into the upper platform we can...(cough)...get this started."

With the instructions given all the genin, minus Naruto and his opponent, began to walk towards the stairways. As both Hinata and Ten-Ten passed the blonde though each had their own words for him.

"G-Good luck in your match N-Naruto-kun, I'm sure you'll do g-great."

Naruto gave the blushing bluenette a kind look and said, "Thank you Hinata, I appreciate the sentiment." He watched her shuffle off after that, and was just as quickly confronted with the bun-haired visage of Ten-Ten.

"You better win," she threw out immediately, "if you don't then I'll think it was a mistake asking you to help me with my dream; and also, who else will I clash steel with in the finals if you aren't there?"

This time, the Uzumaki gave his fellow Leaf shinobi a challenging smirk, "The finals huh? Won't you need to get past the preliminaries first Ten-ten?"

She scoffed, "Che, other than you I can only think of maybe two or three other people I don't think I have a sure chance against; and two of them are on my team." Ten-Ten then patted Naruto on the shoulder and said, "Anyway, good luck, and I'll see you in the finals partner."

With that she joined the other genin up on the platform with the Jounin, leaving just the blonde and his mummified partner with Hayate standing between them.

"Alright, you both know the rules, so if each of you is good to go I'll begin the first match of the preliminaries."

"I'm good," Naruto affirmed as he set his hand on __Kubikiribocho's__ handle.

"Let's get this over with," Dosu grumbled. He was upset that he and his team's mission had been ruined, and was in no mood to be playful.

"Very well then...begin!" With that the sickly-looking man leaped away from the pair to a safe distance, allowing them more than enough room to do battle with.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

"I suggest you just give up now," Dosu offered as he eyed his blonde opponent. "I'm not in a very good mood right now, and if you stay, I can't be held responsible if our match ends in your shinobi career stopping short on account of my killing you."

If Naruto was thinking of the offer he didn't show it, instead the blonde pulled his giant cleaver from its place on his back and brought it down aiming for Dosu.

Smirking behind his bandages, Naruto replied, "Funny...I was just about to suggest the same thing for you."

Hearing this just made the Sound shinobi sigh. He'd tried to give the kid a way out, he really did, but the blonde idiot insisted on standing in his way.

So, pulling back his sleeve, Dosu revealed his large bracer and said, "Very well then, if death is what you choose, then I will do my best to get you there as quickly as possible."

"Age before youth you old mummy; save me a seat will ya?" Was Naruto's response.

That was the last straw for Dosu; who did this little twerp think he was? The cycloptic genin reared back and then, with a huff of exertion, rushed towards the sword-wielding blonde.

But he never made it there.

Naruto had recalled the little incident during the first exam; when Dosu attacked Kabuto, and knew better than to let whatever was on the older boy's arm anywhere near him. Instead, as the Oto shinobi made it half-way over to him, Naruto jumped back to re-widen the gap between them.

Once he landed, Naruto returned the legendary blade in his hand to its sheath before going into a small chain of hand-signs. After finishing, the blonde called out his attack; to the shock of many who knew him. " _ _ **Fire-style: Fire-ball jutsu!**__ "

A medium-sized fire-ball hurtled its way towards the one-eyed Sound ninja at a relatively fast speed, however, it didn't move quiet fast enough because Dosu managed to dodge it. Only feeling the heat against his clothes.

But as he landed, the teen realized that this had been part of the blonde's plan.

Seeing the large, sharp weapon coming down at him Dosu did the only thing he could think of in order to keep from using his bracer as a shield.

He used his bare hand.

With the weight of the blade pushing down, and how easy it is for the __Kubikiribocho__ to slice through flesh, it was no surprise that blood was soon splattering to the floor; dribbling from Dosu's hand like milk from a spilled carton.

Yet in spite of this, and any pain the spectators were __sure__ he was feeling, the Oto-ninja was smiling. Although one could only tell if they looked closely.

Naruto was one of those people.

"What are you all happy for, I just made you a permanent handicap. There's no way you can use that hand again."

Dosu just laughed though and answered, "It's more than worth it though, because now I've got you right where I want you!" With that declaration the older boy swung his free hand around and knocked it against the side of Naruto's head.

 _'_ _ _With the amount of chakra I funneled into my bracer that blow should pop his head like a cork,'__ were the over zealous thoughts of the Oto ninja as he waited for the blood bath.

...But it never came. Instead, in its place, was a large cloud of smoke as the __**shadow-clone**__ of Naruto was destroyed.

"What, a clone!?"

"Well of course," came Naruto's voice from up above, "do you really think I'd come at you myself after I know how your technique works?"

Everyone, including Dosu, moved their eyes around the stadium in an attempt to find where Naruto's voice was coming from, but it wasn't until Anko laughed out loud that they noticed jut where he was. The blonde had stuck himself to the roof.

It seemed the fire-ball was meant as more than just a wall so Dosu wouldn't seethe blonde change out with a clone, no, it was made just the right size too so that the one-eyed genin wouldn't be able to see Naruto leap up to the roof either.

"Of course part of me thought the clone would have been enough, but I didn't anticipate you having the guts to sacrifice your own hand for a killing blow; I'm impressed."

Naruto cut the chakra feed to his feet and allowed himself to fall back to the arena floor. Once he was situated again the blonde continued speaking, "In fact, I'm so impressed, I'll give you a quick death; instead of the slow, humiliating one I had planned before."

As he spoke, the blonde once again pulled his cleaver from its sheath and set it to touch the ground. Naruto closed his expressive blue eyes, tensed his muscles...and then he was gone.

"Hrk!"

That sound drew everyone's attention, and then made those with weaker stomachs look away, as the sight was much more than they were used too; this was mainly the rookies, as all the others had seen death many times over.

Naruto stood in front of Dosu, with about half his blade between them, while the remainder was lodged so far into the Sound shinobi's chest that it came out his back. The bandages that were wrapped around his face were quickly stained with all the blood that gushed from the teens mouth. And while the cut was fairly clean, that didn't stop the copious amounts of blood that oozed from the open wound and onto the tile floor...or at least, the blood that didn't already find itself dribbling down Naruto's blade and painting it a deep, crimson red.

With a sickening squelching sound __Kubikiribocho__ was pulled from Dosu Kinuta's chest cavity, and then returned to its home on Naruto's back. The blonde simply watched as his opponents body crumpled like a bloody rag doll to the ground, where the older boy continued for a few moments to choke on his own blood before forever going silent.

It was safe to say that Naruto Uzumaki had won the first match of the preliminary rounds.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 ** _ **A/N: And...done! Yes, I am alive, and yes I am sorry for making you all wait so long for this next chapter. To be honest these past couple of months have been a whirlwind of hell that I think I'm just about to come out of; I'll know in a couple of weeks.**_**

 ** _ **Anyway, I don't really have anything to say about this since the only real thing to happen was Naruto's fight with Dosu, but then the preliminaries were never really a part of the show I found super exciting. Only a few matches actually interested me, the rest were stupid.**_**

 ** _ **I'm going to try and finish these fights up as soon as possible because 1) I don't really care for them, and, 2) I want to get to the training arc because that's where Naruto gets a super important piece of his arsenal for later use.**_**

 ** _ **Well, like I said, there isn't much I can think of to say here so remember: review or PM with any questions comments, or things of that nature.**_**


	11. Chapter 11

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.11- Battle for the top spot: Kiba vs Sasuke!**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The arena was quiet, nobody up on the platforms made a sound, and all eyes were trained on the pair that stood enter stage in the middle of the floor.

Well, one was standing, while the other lay dead in a pool of his own blood.

Naruto had just finished doing battle with Dosu, and while some didn't worry about the blonde's chances to pull out a victory, none of those supporters would have guessed just __how__ Naruto would claim the win.

He'd killed his opponent.

Yes the chunin exams did often include genin taking their first life, but many of the shinobi present didn't think the Uzumaki had what it took to actually take the life of another human being...and then look so calm about it. It was just _strange_.

Most had even expected Naruto to lose his match; as in their minds he was still the brainless prankster from the academy.

But all those doubts and expectations were washed away by the bloody picture that had been presented to them.

"K-Kakashi, what...what in the world have you been doing with this kid?"

The Jounin in question turned to Kurenai, the one who'd spoken, and told her that he hadn't really done anything with the blonde youth down at the bottom floor.

"Bull-shit," Asuma cut in. "A twelve-year old kid doesn't just go from dead-last to death-bringer in half a year by themselves. You must have been giving him private lessons."

This time Kakashi turned his eye towards Naruto, who still happened to be waiting for Hayate to dismiss him, and spoke with a sense of reverence as he explained himself.

"I didn't say he didn't get training from me; he is my student after all. But I had nothing to do with this new Naruto that you all see down there, for __that__ you can all thank one Zabuza Momochi."

Kakashi's fellow Jounin were caught off-guard by this bit of information, and it was Guy who jumped to ask, "What exactly do you mean by that Kakashi, what does Kiri's demon have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Naruto met him during our first C-rank mission, and after the mission ended, my student decided to honor the memory of a shinobi who opened his eyes to the realities of our world."

Kurenai was the one to ask, "And so he's honoring a serial killer by trying to _become_ him?"

"When you think about it, aren't we all just a bunch of serial killers Kurenai-sensei?"

The red-eyed beauty in question flinched at hearing Naruto's voice behind her.

 _ _'He must have been declared the winner while we were talking,'__ the raven-haired beauty thought as she turned to look at the young genin she'd just been wondering about.

Doing her best to put on a disarming smile, Kurenai went on to answer the blonde Uzumaki's question. She told Naruto of how, in a sense he was correct, but the distinctive difference between the average shinobi and those like Zabuza was that the Demon of Kiri held no regard for the life of others.

"He kills for the sake of killing, or personal gain."

Whatever reaction Kurenai was expecting, the sharp-eyed look she got was not it. Naruto's normally ocean-blue eyes had darkened to an icy, almost sapphire color. His wrapped jaw could be seen clenching in anger at the statement and even anyone paying attention could see the way his neck muscles bulged from the restrained lash out that Naruto no doubt wished to let loose.

 _ _'But that wouldn't be what Zabuza would do,'__ he thought before responding to Kurenai's assessment.

"Zabuza Momochi killed so that he could achieve his dream of one day ruling Kirigakure as the Mizukage, and any killing he did before becoming a rogue ninja was done in service to the __current__ Mizukage, just like any other shinobi of a hidden village."

"But Naruto," Ino butted in, "what does that say about him if this guy wound up becoming a run away ninja? He couldn't have been a very honorable guy; sounds more like a slime-ball to me—hey!"

Ino's two cents were thrown out when Naruto jumped in her face.

"What do you know about anything Ino? You and your team haven't done anything other than walk villagers dogs and weed gardens, so what do you know about honor or even what it really means to be a shinobi?"

"Hey!" Asuma jumped in after seeing his student get verbally assaulted by one of her fellow genin. "Naruto calm down, there's no need to be so hostile alright? Ino was only asking, she wasn't trying to offend anyone."

"Well maybe you should get her a shock collar for that big mouth of hers, to teach her not to open it unless someone's actually talking to her-"

"Naruto," Kakashi cut him off. "That's enough, you've made your point. Ino's sorry for being inconsiderate of your feelings and her lack of understanding, but I'm also going to need you to apologize to Asuma for being so rude."

"And what about me?" Kurenai wondered. "He disrespected me too Kakashi, or did you forget that?"

The silver-haired Jounin in question just 'hmm'-ed in response and went on to say, "Actually Kurenai I wouldn't say that; you actually disrespected Naruto and his feelings. So if anything, you owe _him_ an apology."

"You know what, never mind, this is a pointless argument. Everyone has their own opinion and it won't be changed without examples, so why don't we just go back to watching the fights, because it looks like Kiba and Sasuke are up next."

Hearing this everybody turned their heads to the selection board and found that, yes, Sasuke was indeed up next with Kiba being his opponent.

Naruto, the one who'd pointed it out, just crossed his arms and eyed his team-mate as the raven-haired genin made his way down to the arena. The blonde-headed youth was curious to see how Sasuke would do in his battered state.

 _ _'We'll see if his spot as Rookie of the Year outweighs Kiba's Alpha-male instinct.'__

Down below with the two clan heirs, Sasuke and Kiba were busy eyeing each other with fire in their eyes.

For Sasuke it was about showing off is superior skill and putting the Inuzuka pup in his place.

For Kiba, it was bout proving that __he__ was the top dog and the Uchiha was nothing but a poser.

In the end it was really just a battle of egos.

"Alright...(cough) (cough)...you two know the rules. The match stops when either...(cough) (cough)...one of you surrenders, can't continue, or I...(cough)...declare a winner based on what I see." Hayate explained.

Then, after explaining to Sasuke that Akamaru was considered a tool, and not a partner so the nin-ken could be part of the battle, the Jounin swordsmen declared the match a go.

Sasuke's first move was to actually not move at all. He knew that Kiba would want to start things off, so the Uchiha youth simply waited to counter whatever it was his opponent thought up. With the days of rest he'd gotten after being brought to the tower, and having the mark sealed by Kakashi, Sasuke was more than ready to get used to his body again. And, thankfully, Kiba remained predictable and attacked first.

The hooded genin shot forward with his elbow aimed for Sasuke's sternum, crying out how he'd end the match in one hit, only to miss when Sasuke leaped into the air. Kiba managed to stop himself soon enough though, and had time to block the ax-kick that came down at his head. The Inuzuka threw up an arm, stopping Sasuke's leg with his forearm, before gripping the offending appendage and using it to fling the Uchiha away.

When Sasuke recovered though, managing to flip in the air and land on his feet, Kiba decided it was time to use his signature jutsu.

" _ _ **Gatsuga!**__ "

Kiba twisted his body at rapid speed, moving like a drill through the air, and heading straight for Sasuke.

But Sasuke saw this coming and was able to avoid being hit by dodging to the side. As he hung in the air, the Uchiha attempted a quick counter attack and threw a small hail of kunai at the rotating vortex...only to watch as they bounced off and away, leaving Kiba unharmed.

 _ _'Well that didn't have any effect, and I'd rather not waste any chakra trying to hit it with my fireball, so that just leaves waiting it out and hitting him once his jutsu ends.'__

And good for Sasuke, Kiba's signature technique wasn't famous for its hang time. The Inuzuka member spun out soon after his opponent assessed the situation, and was back on his feet ready to be engaged.

Something Sasuke took prime advantage of.

With the enhanced speed he'd acquired during his first C-rank mission, Sasuke quickly closed the gap between himself and Kiba, where he then went on to open up with a sweep-kick.

But Kiba, always just a few steps behind Sasuke, was still fast enough to avoid being knocked off his feet; if only just barely. And once he was in the air, Kiba decided to try a counter, and threw his legs out in a double-kick aimed for his opponent's head.

When Sasuke ducked to avoid it Kiba used the momentum to flip backwards, onto his hands, and then springboard up into the air.

Unfortunately for him, this was Sasuke's plan all along.

With the Inuzuka boy stuck so close in mid-air Sasuke knew there would be no time for him to activate his __**Gatsuga**__ , or even dodge a fireball. So, still crouched against the arena floor, the Uchiha avenger quickly flashed through his three favorite hand-sign's and let loose a medium-sized __**Great-Fireball**__.

"Argh!"

...Or at least, he __would__ have, had he not just got bitten by Akamaru.

The little ninja-dog had noticed his partner was in trouble and chosen just the right moment to step in and lend a hand.

Akamaru now had his teeth sunk down into Sasuke's calf, forcing the Uchiha to lose control of his attack and sputter as he dropped to the ground. It was then, after seeing Kiba land safely, that Akamaru let go and returned to his partner's side.

"Great job Akamaru," the Inuzuka boy praised as he scooped up his pal. "I would have been turned into burnt toast if I didn't have you watching my back, way to go buddy."

Turning his slightly-feral gaze over to his downed opponent, Kiba began to gloat.

"How do you like that Sasuke? Looks like you aren't as tough as everyone makes you think; it's a shame you're all that's left of the Uchiha clan, they must be crying in their graves at how weak you are. Or maybe, all those stories we heard about them were just that, stories, to cover up for how big of an embarrassment they were as shinobi."

As he broke out into boisterous laughter Kiba failed to notice the change in Sasuke's demeanor. While he __was__ still on the ground, the lone survivor of the Uchiha Massacre was stock still and rigid. His right hand, which was angled back and clutching the injured leg, was now squeezing down on the bite marks to the point of drawing blood. Sasuke's left hand, which was set against the floor so as to steady him, was trembling as it clawed into the tile below.

And yet, despite all this, there was a much worse expression of Sasuke's barely concealed rage that trumped everything the spectators __could__ see.

It was his eyes.

Underneath his raven-black hair Sasuke's eyes were hard and cold. They spoke volumes of emotion, which bled through in the form of his __Sharingan__.

Only, this time, the colors were switched. Red lay in a pool of inky-black.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Up on the platforms Kakashi was reprimanding Kurenai for her students mouth.

"I think you and I both know that was completely uncalled for Kurenai; you need to have a word with Kiba about keeping his mouth shut. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of just how sensitive _that_ subject is to Sasuke."

The genjutsu mistress did in fact look apologetic as she replied to her senior Jounin's words. "I do know, and I'm sorry about Kiba's...brashness. I'll have a talk with him, _and_ his mother, after the preliminaries."

"I hope so, because next time we'll be having this discussion in front of the Hokage."

While the combatants respective sensei were discussing punishment for the loud-mouthed Inuzuka, over with the genin some had their own opinions about what should happen to Kiba.

The loudest of which calls came from the Uchiha boy's two most loyal fans.

"Would you two quiet down already, geeze. Yeah what Kiba said crossed a line but that doesn't mean you gotta get so loud about it; this whole preliminary thing is troublesome enough without you girls' squawking."

"Shut up Shikamaru," Ino shouted back in response. "That mutt shouldn't have said that about Sasuke-kun's family and you know it; he should be fined, or something!"

"What kind of punishment is that," Temari butted in from the side. She'd been close enough to hear the bickering and was now curious to know what made this 'Sasuke' so special that someone would be fined for speaking ill of the kid's family. "Is he some relative of your Hokage or something?"

Ino turned to her fellow blonde and answered, "Well no...but his ancestors helped create the village, and he's the last surviving Uchiha."

Temari waited for a minute, and when she realized that the Konoha kunoichi was done speaking asked what _else_ was there?

"He was Rookie of the Year in our class."

"...Is that all? Because from what I'm hearing this kid is just another headband in the crowd. I mean, sure, having a tool like the __Sharingan__ is a rare and powerful thing now a days, but from what I've seen he can't even use it to its full potential so he's not really any better than his opponent down there."

"And then there's the fact that last year's Rookie of the Year is at least ten times stronger than Sasuke."

Heads swiveled on their necks to turn and look at who'd spoken, and all eyes landed on Ten-Ten, who had broken away from her team-mate's to put in her two cents.

Something that Sakura didn't appreciate. "Oh, and how would you know?"

"He's on my squad," Ten-Ten answered with a smug smirk. "Neji Hyuga is reported to be the strongest genin of his generation; a prodigy."

It was Shikamaru who spoke next, and his words popped the bubble of superiority that the bun-haired girl had blown around herself.

"I'd be careful about throwing that word around if I were you, because last time I checked, the last person to be named a prodigy wound up murdering his entire clan in cold blood. Maybe you should make sure this Neji isn't secretly a sociopaths; how do you think Konoha will fare in the world with the destruction of its second strongest clan too?"

For the first time since she'd met him, Ten-Ten began to wonder about Neji and the actual possibility that the hate-driven Hyuga might __actually__ attempt such a thing.

"Stop scaring her Shikamaru, Sasuke's brother was a special case and you know it. Remember, _my_ sensei was a prodigy too, and look at where he is now," Naruto chimed in.

The blonde had moved away from the Jounin after pointing out that the match's opponent's had been selected and now stood with his fellow genin. He'd originally not wanted to get involved with the conversation, but the Uzumaki felt he should lay Ten-Ten's obvious fears to rest.

Something the weapon mistress was grateful for, as shown by the small smile of relief she sent Naruto's way. She looked as if she was about to say something too, but whatever Ten-Ten had planned was blown into the wind by a powerful chakra pulse.

One that made her knees buckle and the hairs on her neck stand on end.

At first, Ten-Ten thought it was just her that had felt it, but she soon realized that wasn't the case as every genin soon snapped their head back to the arena...where Sasuke was seen surrounded by a swirl of __black__ chakra.

He was pushing off the ground and getting back to his feet, where the Uchiha went on and entered into his clan's standard fighting stance, __Sharingan__ blazing in all its...glory?

 _'What the heck happened to Sasuke's Sharingan!?'_

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 _ _'Who does that mutt think he is, disrespecting my clan that way. He knows__ _ **nothing**_ _ _about what__ _ _happened that night or what our history is; his blasphemy is unforgivable!'__

Sasuke slowly rose up from the arena floor and back to his feet. His knuckles popped as the Uchiha flexed his fingers, emotions of rage and anger radiating off of Sasuke's hunched form.

And yet, despite this, Kiba still opened his mouth for another insult.

"Ooh, a little slow getting up there pretty-boy. What's the matter, did we have the match before your nap time little baby? Maybe we should go find mommy so she can tuck you-" Kiba's mockery was ground to a halt by Sasuke snapping his head up and staring him down with his inverted __Sharingan__.

 _ _'What the...'__ The Inuzuka thought before his opponent began to speak.

Sasuke's voice was guttural, and rumbled like thunder. "Don't. Talk. About. My. MOTHER!"

Then, the furious Uchiha disappeared from Kiba's view in a burst of unexpected speed. It was beyond anything Kiba believed Sasuke to be capable of, and was caught completely off-guard by the backhand that smacked against his cheek.

Kiba didn't have the time to even think about channeling chakra to his feet to keep himself planted, and instead wound up rocketing through the air with Akamaru clutched to his chest. The hooded genin hit the ground hard, cracking the tile on impact, and then rolling another few feet before coming to a stop. From his place on the arena floor Kiba spat out the mouthful of blood that stained his teeth before raising himself up, shakily, onto his knees.

The first thing Kiba did was check on his nin-ken, making sure the little pup was okay, before turning his animalistic eyes onto Sasuke.

He saw how the Uchiha was, literally, looking down at him. Sasuke's head was up high, nose in the air, and his reverse-colored __Sharingan__ eyes bore down at the Inuzuka boy. Kiba's opponent stood at his full height ready to continue the match, looking on as if the fanged youth wasn't even a threat.

This angered Kiba.

 _ _'Look down at me huh? Well we'll see how high and mighty you feel after I break out my clan's secret weapon.'__

"What's the matter Kiba," Sasuke broke the downed Inuzuka out from his thoughts. "Where's all that talk? You were just shooting your mouth off a minute ago, _disrespecting_ my clan, so what happened? Did I hit you too hard, maybe knock out that tiny brain of yours?"

Kiba laughed mockingly. "Feh, You're the one who's shooting their mouth off Uchiha, but not for long, not after I use __this__."

Sasuke watched as his opponent pulled out a pair of red pills, feeding one to his pup before ingesting the other himself. And while the raven-haired youth knew about food pills and their properties, what happened next was something that far exceeded any normal chakra booster.

First, Kiba dropped Akamaru and let the pup fall on all fours before falling after the animal himself. While arcs of neon-blue chakra began to weave their way around the young Inuzuka, his puppy partner's snowy coat turned a blazing crimson. Then, while Akamaru was engulfed in a flare of chakra of his own, Kiba's arcs upsurged into a raging flame. And that's when Sasuke's eyes saw it.

Kiba was changing.

The tattooed youth's teeth gnashed as they elongated from canines into fangs, and his fingernails sharpen into claws. Along with that Sasuke could see, from the other boy's calves, that Kiba's muscle mass was increasing too; he was getting stronger.

 _ _'And if that pill is what I think it is, then he's going to be faster too.'__

And, oddly enough, the thought of an increased challenge only made Sasuke more excited. It made his blood rush and his own chakra flare, the pitch-black energy pulsed as its flow increased. What nobody noticed though was that the mark on Sasuke's shoulder was lit up like a flare.

The stand-off was brought to a halt when, in a final flash of chakra, Kiba's transformation finished; leaving a werewolf-looking Inuzuka in his place. His hair was shaggy and now reached his shoulders, while his jaw had extended to a small snout. Kiba's feral, bloodshot eyes were turned up and staring into Sasuke's own.

"Now," he began to say as he set his hands into the 'ram' hand-sign. "Let's get __wild__!"

A puff of smoke later and Akamaru was gone; replaced by an exact copy of Kiba.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Sasuke's inverted __Sharingan__ watched watched Kiba's transformation, and then as the Inuzuka sat his __**Man-beast clone**__ technique on Akamaru, turning the raging pup into an exact copy of the newly improved Kiba.

And yet despite this, Sasuke felt no fear.

No the Uchiha felt only one thing and that was a burning desire to bring his opponent to their knees. He wanted to make Kiba pay for insulting him, insulting his family, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

 _ _'Nothing!'__ Sasuke raged internally. He was ready for this, he was-

"Grhk!"

That was only sound that managed to make its way out of Sasuke's mouth as he was caught under the chin by an uppercut. It seemed Kiba was faster than he'd anticipated.

 _ _'Or maybe I was stupid and let my guard down,'__ he chastised himself in the air. But Sasuke recovered quickly and was ready for his opponents follow up. Kiba had followed him into mid-air, more than likely assuming he'd get another free shot, and was directly underneath Sasuke.

 _ _'Got you,'__ the last Uchiha thought smugly before righting himself and landing an ax-kick down on the other boy's skull.

Sasuke watched as Kiba's body quickly descended from the sky, only to have to twist so as to avoid being run through by a high-speed tornado. He'd already forgotten about Akamaru.

And that cost the __Sharingan__ wielder dearly, as his right side suffered from close contact with the spinning death trap. Sasuke let himself fall back to the ground, only to hunch over as he held the bleeding area around his ribs.

Akamaru's tornado stopped and the transformed dog landed on his feet. He turned an eye towards his partner, and was relieved to see Kiba getting off the ground and back on his feet. Akamaru barked to his friend, asking if the Inuzuka boy was alright.

Kiba rubbed his aching head, thankful for the huge adrenaline rush that came with taking his family's special food pill. "Yeah, I'm fine buddy, he just got in a lucky shot is all. But now I'm ready, so let's show this pompous pretty-boy who's the real top dog around here."

And with that the two primal partners were ready for action again.

Kiba took the lead again, but this time he tried for something other than a frontal assault. The Inuzuka boy reached into his hip pouch and produced a pair of smoke bombs. Knowing that just throwing them at Sasuke would do no real good, as the Uchiha could just jump away before being engulfed, Kiba signaled to Akamaru to create a distraction.

The transformed pup nodded in understanding before rushing in. Akamaru got close, but veered off at the last second, showing the attack to be a feint. The real attack came next in the form of an attempted leg sweep from behind.

Thankfully for him Sasuke was much faster than Akamaru, so the Uchiha had no problem jumping to avoid the attack, and only a little difficulty flipping over Kiba as the Inuzuka boy came barreling by.

His side throbbed in pain, yes, but it was better than the alternative.

 _Unfortunately_ though, Sasuke had been nursing said wound while Kiba had pulled out the smoke bombs, so he wasn't prepared for his vision to suddenly be clouded by a thick purple haze.

This left him open to the spartan-kick to the back that sent him stumbling into a punch to the gut. As he doubled over in pain, the Uchiha avenger was struck a third time by a bicycle-kick that sent him rocketing into the air.

Sasuke quickly managed to right himself though and turned his inverted __Sharingan__ towards the heavy cloud of smoke. And that's when he noticed it...he could see.

It wasn't a completely clear picture, but Sasuke was able to make out the forms of both Kiba and Akamaru from inside their little trap. Something that the young Uchiha knew wasn't possible before that day.

Movement in the smoke drew Sasuke's mind away from that though and back into the fight.

One of the Kiba's was moving, gearing up for another __**Gatsuga**__. Moments later, a whirling tornado came ripping through the shroud and barreling straight for the airborne Uchiha. And that's when Sasuke was hit with a wave of nausea.

 _ _'What the—huh?'__

Were Sasuke's eyes playing tricks on him, or was there another tornado ghosting itself from out behind Kiba's? Either way, the __Sharingan__ wielder's body reacted; avoiding his opponent, only to be forced into narrowly dodging a second tornado that came from underneath.

As he let gravity bring him back to the arena floor Sasuke's ears caught the tail-end of Kiba's conversation with Akamaru as their attempted double-team failed.

"I don't know how he managed to avoid that one buddy, but don't worry, we'll get him next time."

And that made Sasuke think: how _did_ he manage to dodge that last attack? It was like his body just moved on its own after that weird double-vision he'd been hit with.

But like last time, Kiba and his partner didn't give Sasuke much time to ponder these thoughts before going back on the offensive.

One of the two came rushing in and engaged the last Uchiha in close combat. Sasuke ducked the swipe to his head, and threw up a cross-block to stave off the ax-kick that came after, before grabbing his opponent's leg and striking out at the pit behind their knee. The Kiba copy let out a rough grunt of pain, revealing himself to be the real Inuzuka. From there Sasuke threw the leg aside and caught Kiba in the chest with a swift combo of punches.

It was after he jumped back to finish off with a double kick to the chest that Sasuke saw it; there was a hole in the ground.

And then he was hit with another nausea attack.

A ghostly copy of Kiba was angled at the ground and performed a __**Gatsuga**__ , creating the hole, and then vanishing in a wisp of smoke.

 _ _'Behind!'__

 _'_ Sasuke's instincts screamed at him to flip back, and being from a warrior clan the raven-haired youth was taught to trust his instincts. For good reason too, because mid-flip Akamaru exploded out of the ground and flew right underneath his intended target.

At such speed and so little time to move though, the nin-ken had no choice but to keep going forward...straight into Kiba.

"Gaah!"

The Inuzuka was sent rocketing backwards, before slamming against the arena floor, and then rolling to a stop. Akamaru quickly ended his attack and stared blankly at the beaten form of his downed friend.

He stared, and stared, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.

And then he started twitching.

First it was just a tick in his shoulder, but soon it escalated to jerks of the arms, until finally Akamaru was having almost seizure-like fits. His slit pupils shrunk until only the whites of his eyes were left, and foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth. It all finished when the transformed nin-ken snapped his head up and let out a guttural roar.

The sound reverberated off the walls and shook the arena's occupancy to the bone with the deep levels of sorrow and regret that mixed with the animalistic rage and hatred that came at the forefront of the battle cry.

Akamaru's head quickly snapped to the side once his cry was finished and the nin-ken's primal eyes glared hatefully at their target; Sasuke.

The last Uchiha had been the one Akamaru was supposed to hit, and because the raven-haired genin moved out of the way Kiba got hurt, meaning in Akamaru's instinct-driven mind that what happened to his partner was Sasuke's fault...and for that he must pay!

For Sasuke it was a surprise; Akamaru's power had just doubled!

The feral nin-ken's body was wrapped in a fiery cloak of chakra and the air seemed to be thick with the dog's protective instinct. The combination made it hard to breath. It made it hard to react.

And that's why, when Akamaru dashed towards him, Sasuke wasn't able to duck away from the swipe aimed at his face.

"Aaargh!"

Blood spattered the floor, and Sasuke stumbled backwards in an attempt to stay out of Akamaru's reach while his hand clawed tightly at his face...at his his eye. Blood oozed thickly from the wounded optic organ; it coated Sasuke's face as well as his hand.

On Akamaru's end he just stood there with a satisfied look etched across his face, bloody claws raised high with pride.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Up in the stands though, the only emotions being felt were disbelief and anger.

Kakashi in particular was glaring hard at Kurenai, his fellow Jounin at least having the decency to look ashamed as he berated her.

"What was that just now Kurenai; what is that pill your student and his pet just took? Because whatever it is, if it causes them to lose all sense of reason, I don't see how you could allow them to use it against a fellow Leaf ninja."

"I-I don't actually know Kakashi," the genjtsu mistress answered back quietly. "It's an Inuzuka secret, so Kiba wasn't allowed to tell me. All I was allowed to know was that it amplified the users chakra, senses, and physical ability by at least twice that of a normal food pill."

Kurenai ducked her head in shame as she then went on to explain how she'd allowed the two to bring them into the test to help ensure they passed.

"Without knowing the side effects," Kakashi finished sternly. "That was very irresponsible of you, especially as a Jounin, and could even be seen as petty by some of your peers. You do understand that don't you?"

The red-eyed beauty shot her head up at that. "But I didn't know, what was I supposed to do?"

"Tell Kiba that, if he couldn't give you a better explanation, then his pill could only be used out in the field against enemy ninja. The chunin exams are meant to inspire friendship and build relationships, not tear them apart and start civil wars!"

"That's a bit harsh don't you think Kakashi?" Asuma jumped in to defend Kurenai. But he shrunk back a little when the silver-haired ex-Anbu captain turned his lone eye on him.

"No Asuma, I don't. Because of her pride, and her desire to prove herself as the rookie Jounin, Kurenai has cost this village one of its last remaining _Sharingan_ ; something I know many citizens won't be happy with, and the other nations may take as a sign we're losing control of our forces. This was a very bone-headed mistake, one that can't just be fixed by an 'I'm sorry'."

"But I don't understand, __why__ did it happen," Kurenai went on to ask. "Akamaru has never acted so viciously before. Not even when Kiba was harmed during practice. So why now?"

This time it was Guy who threw in his two cents.

"It must be an ingredient they use in their food pill; we saw how it enhanced Kiba's dog-like traits, turning him into some sort of werewolf. If it does something like that to a young genin with __human__ genetics, just imagine what it does to a ninja dog, bred from wolves, with no human gene. It would regress the nin-ken's mind to run purely on instinct."

"Meaning the only one he'd listen to was the pack leader; who in this case was Kiba. And if something were to happen to that leader, Akamaru wouldn't know what to do, all sense of rationalizing has already been diminished, so whatever was left would be overloaded by pure instinct," Asuma continued.

"An Instinct to make Kiba's attacker pay...an instinct to kill Sasuke," Kakashi finished ominously. His lone eye was now staring down at the arena, drawing his fellow Jounin's gaze as well.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Back down below, Akamaru was gearing up for another assault on Sasuke, his blood-soaked hand reared back and ready for another swipe at the boy's face. But when he launched himself at the injured Uchiha, the transformed canine was in for a surprise when Sasuke caught his wrist with his free hand.

And try as he might, Kiba's animal partner was unable to wrench his hand free.

Instead he dropped to a knee when Sasuke put pressure on the bone, filling the arena with the sound of breaking bone.

"Raaw!" Akamaru roared in pain. One eye was closed shut in pain, but when he turned the other one up to glare at Sasuke, the feral ninja dog was left shaking as his rage was overshadowed by fear.

With one hand covering his right eye, Sasuke stared down at Akamaru with just the __Sharingan__ in his left, and what the dog found there frightened him to the bone.

It was dark, and cold, and spoke of a an unprecedented level of madness that one usually only found in the most battle-hardened shinobi.

It was Sasuke's words that clinched it for Akamaru and let him know what came next was going to hurt.

"You're going to pay for this," he whispered with an icy calm, "with your __life__!"

Throwing the damaged wrist to the side Sasuke finally let his other hand pull away from his eye, which he then used to grip the side of Akamaru's head and cram it into the floor. The impact point exploded, leaving a permanent dent in the tile as spider-web cracks funneled out from underneath Akamaru's bleeding skull.

But Sasuke wasn't done yet.

He changed his grip to take hold of the transformed dog's jacket collar, lifting the bloodied nin-ken onto shaky feet. "This is it," Sasuke told him before burying a fist into his gut. The Uchiha followed it with another, and third, before sending Akamaru into the air with a flip-kick.

Sasuke wasn't far behind, launching himself not long after. Angling himself in mid-air Sasuke grabbed Akamaru's ankles and flipped the transformed dog over.

Then, locking his legs around his opponents torso with his arms holding the ninja dog's legs, Sasuke called out his technique: _**"Uchiha Clan secret technique: Falcon Drop!"**_

"Akamaru no!"

Kiba had managed to recover enough from being railroaded by Akamaru so that he was able to push himself off the ground on trembling arms and see his partner be sent soaring into the air. From there the Inuzuka watched as Sasuke wrapped around Akamaru like a constrictor snake and pulled the transformed dog down like a stone weight.

 _ _'What's that jerk thinking,'__ Kiba berated the Uchiha in his mind, __'doesn't he know that from that height and angle he'll kill Akamaru!?'__

With his adrenaline pumping, flooding his system with another dose of the food pill, Kiba was able to scramble to his feet and rush towards where he knew the two would land. He had to make it, he had to save his partner, he had...

 _ _ **'BOOM!'**__

The crash reverberated off the walls like a thunder clap. Sasuke had pulled away at the last possible moment and used his push-off to further accelerate the nin-ken's descent.

Kiba was blown back by the force of the crash and sent rolling across the arena floor a second time. But when he finally managed to stop himself, the Inuzuka snapped his head up and began to claw across the floor towards the crash site.

His frantic efforts were ground to a halt though when, as he arrived, the dust cleared away enough so that everyone could see the body that lay on the destroyed tile.

The impact must have canceled the transformation, because what greeted Kiba's eyes was the broken body of Akamaru's original dog form. One whose neck was broken. The pup's spine had snapped apart, and both ends had forced their way out through the small dogs neck, staining Akamaru's once pristine coat a dirty crimson.

Slit eyes looked on in horror and disbelief at what lay before them. This couldn't be happening, not to Akamaru, not to his best friend.

At first Kiba couldn't feel anything; his entire body had gone numb. And then it was like he was on fire. It was instant, the rush of heat erupted from the pit of Kiba's stomach and flooded the Inuzuka's body.

The fire was so hot that Kiba was left to claw at his jacket in a crazed attempt to alleviate some of the feeling. Once the hoodie was in shreds, all eyes that watched the scene could see Kiba's muscles spasm under his skin, breaking down and repairing themselves to increase the young genin's strength.

Like with Akamaru before him Kiba's mouth was quickly filled with foam as he thrashed around on the arena floor. He slammed his fists into the tiles, leaving bloody holes in the ground, as he howled out in a pained sort of rage.

It finally stopped when Kiba's enhanced hearing caught the sound of Sasuke's voice; the voice of the one who'd killed his partner.

"Feh, look at that, the Inuzuka clan heir turns out to be nothing more than a primitive beast. Is it really a wonder why no other village wanted your people; a clan of animals, not warriors."

Hearing the insult to his pack, added to Sasuke's murder of Akamaru, sent Kiba farther into the depths of his feral rage. He turned to look at the Uchiha avenger and revealed to his fellow genin that his pupils had vanished.

 ** _ **"YOU!"**_**

Sasuke was hit with a third attack of nausea, and this time he had a better understanding of what was happening, so when he saw the ghostly image of Kiba rush him with a feint the Uchiha was ready to lean back out of the way of the real attack that came moments later.

The feint was meant to cover a roundhouse, which Sasuke ducked under, and countered with a palm to the gut. Sending Kiba back a few feet gave Sasuke time to reach into his hip pouch and grip the ninja wire he found there.

 _ _'I'm seeing his next move before he even makes it, like quick view of the future. This is amazing. I've never heard of the__ _Sharingan_ _ _doing anything like this before, but if it helps me win this fight I won't question it.'__

That turned out to be a good idea because it gave Sasuke enough time to pay attention to what was coming next.

Kiba came torpedoing towards him, but Sasuke flipped to the side and avoided him, then when his lone eye showed him Kiba's next move the avenger twisted his body and flipped over the shot to his back as the Inuzuka re-positioned himself.

And that's when Sasuke's plan came to fruition.

He yanked hard, and the ninja wire he'd wrapped around his opponent pulled taut, canceling out Kiba's attack and dropping him to the floor.

Once his sandal-clad feet hit the ground though Sasuke continued with his attack. Tensing his muscles Sasuke pulled on the wires that kept Kiba bound, and began to pull as he spun on the ball of his foot. Soon enough the force had Kiba being swung around like a sack of potatoes.

Sasuke did this for a few rounds before letting go and launching the captured Inuzuka skyward.

Like with Akamaru the last Uchiha followed his prey, but unlike before, he got there too late. Kiba had been thrashing about since the moment of his capture and had finally managed to break apart the wire that constricted him.

So when Sasuke matched heights with Kiba, the feral genin actually caught him off-guard with a sucker punch to the face. Then, while the raven-haired Uchiha was stunned, Kiba grabbed a fistful of those black locks and kept his head straight for a headbutt. The crack wasn't anything like when Akamaru impacted the arena floor but the damage done helped to throw Sasuke even further off his game.

Kiba took advantage of that by wrapping Sasuke's neck in the crook of his elbow and squeezing down hard on the young fighter's windpipe.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Akamaru you trash," the Inuzuka heir seethed in Sasuke's ear as gravity began to take hold of them again. "I'm going to send you out just like you did him, and rid the world of that stupid eye of yours. Good riddance to the Uchiha clan!"

Sasuke struggled hard as he listened to Kiba's plan to kill him; he couldn't afford to die, not here. Not when his family's legacy needed him, not while his brother was still out there needing to pay for his crimes.

No!

Sasuke wouldn't allow his journey to stop here, not at the hands of someone as weak as Kiba!

"That's what you think!" The battered Uchiha shouted back before slamming his elbow deep into Kiba's gut, not once, but three times.

The force of each blow weakened the other boy's hold until, finally, he had no choice but to let go and give Sasuke his freedom.

Seeing that they were only halfway to the ground Sasuke decided to use that to his advantage. Flipping his body, the young __Sharingan__ wielder landed a devastating kick to Kiba's stomach, which sent the animalistic heir hurtling the rest of the way down and crashing right beside his fallen partner.

Sasuke let himself descend slowly after that, and by the time he'd reached the ground the dust had cleared and he was able to see Kiba.

The Inuuka heir wasn't dead but he was unconscious, and he seemed to have hit his head because there was a growing pool of blood seeping out from beneath his hooded head.

Medical ninja came rushing out from the double doors as Hayate declared Sasuke the winner.

But, with everything that had just happened, and all that had been lost, was it really a victory?

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The matches came after were ignored by many of the Konoha Jounin, as they either didn't have to do with one of their students, or it was one that ended too quickly to take notice of. Like Shikamaru's victory over Kin Tsuichi of Oto or Sakura and Ino's cat fight that ended in a double knockout.

And while these matches were going on, many of the Leaf's adults were trying to figure out what was going to happen next concerning both Kiba and Sasuke.

"Kakashi your student just killed a fellow Leaf ninja," Kurenai argued, "that kid needs a serious mental evaluation if he's just going to fly off the handle like that!"

"While I do feel for your team's loss Kurenai you need to understand something; Akamaru had no ninja I.D.. He wasn't considered a shinobi, he was a tool, just like a kunai or a shuriken...lust like those pills they both took against Sasuke." The Jounin in question answered back harshly.

It was true, he did feel bad that his student had killed the ninken, but the dog was out of control and Sasuke was technically defending himself.

"Then what about what he did to Kiba? Sasuke could have very well killed _him_ with that last move. I know you saw the blood!" Kurenai threw back as a rebuttal.

But Kakashi would not allow his student to take the fall for the matches outcome.

"Unfortunately for you Kurenai, that's part of the rules, and he would have been well within his rights too since Hayate didn't call the match. These are the chunin exams; death is inevitable, even among our own ranks, no matter the age. And if you can't get on board with that then maybe you __aren't__ ready to be a Jounin instructor yet."

This got the red-eyed beauties' anger to boil, but before she could say anything Anko came up and pulled on the raven-haired woman's arm to drag her away.

"Come on Kurenai, you need to settle down before you start any real trouble. Look, you can go check on the kid and I'll let you know if either of your other students names get called okay?"

"Yosh! Then you'll not want her to go just yet, because another of young students has been chosen to do battle with my own!" Guy hollered with enthusiasm.

All eyes turned to the selection board and, sure enough, Shino's name was shone in bright yellow letters across the board.

And his opponent: Ten-Ten.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 **A/N: And there's chapter 15. Hopefully it was enjoyable to you guys, and I apologize for the wait. To be honest the chapter should have been up like two weeks ago but something went screwy when I saved it and I had to start over.**

 **Anyway, two of the inverted Sharingan's abilities have been introduced here: the Byakugan-like ability to see inside the smoke and the ability to partially view the future of the fight. Make of that what you will.**

 **Character death was something I thought of while I was planning out my Avatar story and decided to try it out here. Yeah, it was only Akamaru for right now, but it's a starting point. The fact that no one really died in the chunin exams got to me, as well as the fact that throughout the entire series only one of the younger generation dies...and it's near the end of the series -_-.**

 **Just know that this won't be the only time you see death, and it will eventually become more gruesome. These guys are ninja and death should be a real factor in their lives.**

 **I tried to think of someone for Ten-Ten to face in the exams besides Temari, someone she could actually do something against, and Shino was my best thought really. I was thinking of Hinata at first but I just didn't think that'd make her think enough. And Shikamaru wouldn't have been active enough for her, so Shino was the best option to me.**

 **Anything I'm missing feel free to question me about in a PM or a review and I'll answer it.**


	12. Chapter 12

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.12- Battles on and off the field; Ten-Ten vs Shino and Sasuke's consequences!**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Seeing her name pop up on the screen excited Ten-Ten; it was her time to shine. Her chance to show a little bit of what it means to be a real kunoichi.

 _'And not a wannabe like those two poor excuses that ended their fight in a draw,'_ she thought harshly as the bun-haired girl made her way down the steps and onto the arena. Her opponent wasn't far behind either, and soon enough Ten-Ten found herself staring into the blank, sunglass stare of Shino Aburame.

She bowed in respect. "I hope we can have a great match," the weapon mistress said as she came back up. Then Ten-Ten smirked. "After all, we wouldn't wanna bore everybody with a short match right?"

For a moment Shino didn't speak, and Ten-Ten thought the boy was either mute or arrogant. But then the lanky teen's voice reached the brunette's ears as he said: "It'll only be short if you can't keep up with my bugs."

The confidence in her opponent's voice put Ten-Ten on edge a little; what could the clan heir have planned?

 _'I can't be sure, but there's no way I'm gonna just sit back and wait for him to get it started, so I guess it's best I make the first move.'_ The brunette figured mentally as she pulled out a scroll from her hip pouch. An explosion of smoke revealed that it stored a pair of kali sticks. Crouching low, Ten-Ten settled herself into a basic stance before pushing off with her lead foot and rushing at Shino.

Her time training under Konoha's fastest shinobi made it so Ten-Ten closed the gap between herself and her opponent quickly. This also meant the Aburame heir was forced to defend himself sooner than he'd expected.

Ten-Ten opened with a sweep at the taller boy's legs, but as Shino soon realized, this was a ploy. The brunette had done this as a feint; instead of continuing the move she spun around the lanky genin and landed a strong blow to the back of his left knee. This move caused Shino to buckle, which opened his defense up and allowed Ten-Ten the opportunity to swing back around and drive her elbow into his stomach.

The ever stoic Aburame let out only the most necessary of a grunt in pain from the follow-up as he staggered backwards in an attempt to put space between himself and the weapon mistress before him.

Ten-Ten saw right through this immediately and moved fast to close what little space had been created.

Unfortunately for her, those few precious seconds were all Shino needed to put up his defenses...or rather, for his defenses to find their way out into the arena. Because As Ten-Ten lashed out with her kali sticks she was surpised, and a little grossed out, to find that her attack was deflected by swarm of bugs.

It happened so fast, the brunette kunoichi almost couldn't believe it. In a matter of mere seconds her opponent's high-collard form was shrouded by a heavy fog of black; a wall of insects. And they had all come from the boy's pores. Ten-Ten was about to try another offensive move when a mass of bugs from the center of the wall converged to form a _spear_. Ten-Ten narrowly ducked her head to the side and avoided it before she leaped back out of the wall's reach.

This proved effect as Shino's little friends didn't try to follow her, giving the young girl a chance to think of what to do next.

 _'If I try for a rear assault there's pretty good chance more of his bugs will just show up and block that way off too, same thing goes for the sides. Which means I have to find a way around them before he wraps himself in a shield of those little weirdos. The question is how?'_

These were the paths of Ten-Ten's thoughts, but as she'd never actually done battle with a member of the Aburame clan, the brunette didn't really have anything to go on.

Something her opponent took quick notice of and decided to take advantage of.

With the wave of his hand Shino motioned for a clump of his wall to detach itself and move its way over towards Ten-Ten. As it moved the mass of bugs then took an unspoken command and split into two. From there, the two halves torpedoed their way to Ten-Ten.

Thinking quickly Ten-Ten struck her sword into the ground and used it to push off and leap into the air. Once there she produced another scroll, and after unraveling this one, sent a hail of kunai and shuriken raining down on Shino. As predicted, an even larger swarm of bugs found its way out from under his long coat and helped to create a dense bubble around their host.

And that's when she saw it, her opponent's weakness.

While yes, the brunette's barrage had been deflected and Shino left unscathed, there was a litter of dead bugs now surrounding the Aburame's sandal-clad feet. Ten-Ten hadn't noticed this before because she hadn't done enough damage to the wall with her sword strikes, but now, it was clear to everyone that Shino avoided damage at the cost of his hive.

 _'And last I checked, no insect hive is infinite. If I can keep this up he'll be forced to either fight me or give up—what!?'_ The bun-haired girl's thoughts were interrupted by a painful impact against her back.

That's when she recalled the two insect torpedoes she'd been avoiding.

After the hit Ten-Ten found herself dropping from mid-air like a dead fly, but halfway to the ground she recovered, and was able to land on her feet. From there the weapon-wielding kunoichi back-flipped to avoid being on the receiving end of another bug bashing.

"With these things following my every move though there's no way I'll be able to pull off breaking down his defenses without taking too many hits myself," Ten-Ten muttered to herself. "Guess I'll have to use _that_ technique."

Once she managed to avoid another hit from Shino's bug tornadoes Ten-Ten went about ending their match. She made a mad dash for her still-grounded sword and once again used it as a stepping stool to get her more air; this would need a higher altitude than last time if she wanted it to be effective though, so the bun-haired girl added chakra to her legs to help boost herself even higher.

After getting into the air, Ten-Ten pulled out two more scrolls, and with a twist she unraveled them and called out: "Weapon user's secret technique: _Hardware Hailstorm_!"

If the onlookers up in the stands thought Ten-Ten's last attack was a lot of steal, than what came next was beyond anything they had expected. Weapons, of all shapes and sizes, came pouring out of those two scrolls. Everything from swords to arrows hurtled towards the ground...towards Shino and his bugs.

The Aburame's form was lost in the glittering sea of metal and Ten-Ten's chocolate-brown eyes quickly lost sight of him. This lasted for a minute longer before the rainstorm of weapons stopped and revealed what was left behind...bugs.

There was nothing but dead insects scattered across the arena floor and Ten-Ten's weapons buried in the cement.

But there was no Shino.

Ten-Ten, who had finally touched back down to the ground had her head on a swivel, looking left and right for her opponent. "W-Where'd he go?"

"I'm right here."

That was the only warning the brunette got before hands reached out from the earth and grabbed her ankles. Quick thinking allowed Ten-Ten to substitute with one of her many weapons that littered the arena and escape, but from her new position she watched as Shino uprooted himself from the floor and stood before her. He was a little dirty, but other than that there was no evidence that any of Ten-Ten's weapons hit their mark.

Shino must have understood her curiosity because he went on to explain that, he had seen her attack coming, and used his earth element to escape by using the _Head-Hunter_ jutsu.

"But I do have to give you credit for thinking up that plan; not many would think to attempt forcing an Aburame to use their entire colony for a defense maneuver. Unfortunately, your eyes gave you away, and now I'm sure you've used up all of your storm scrolls."

"Yeah, and so what, I can still beat you."

"Perhaps," Shino agreed, "but can you do it before my friends overpower you and drain every drop of chakra from your system?"

Ten-Ten followed the boy's finger and watched as a virtual army of insects crawled toward her from behind. She was caught in a pincer move. But them, before the bun-haired kunoichi could wonder where they came from, those same eyes Shino had mentioned giving her away earlier caught sight of something.

A hole, about the size of a bottle cap, was carved out of the ground.

And that's when she realized it: Shino _was_ defenseless. He'd sent out the rest of his colony while underground, and now was trying to bluff his way to victory.

She could win... _if_ she got to, and put down, the Aburame before his little friends got to her.

Chocolate-brown eyes looked back-and-forth as their owner debated on her next decision. Should she do it? _Could_ she do it?

"I can," Ten-Ten whispered resolutely to herself. "I can do this!"

Grabbing the handle of a sword that was stuck beside her Ten-Ten pulled it from its earthy sheath and rushed her opponent with a mighty battle cry. As she grew closer and closer to the lanky Aburame though, the bun-haired girl could also hear the remainder of his colony moving in on her rear. This was going to be a close call for sure, but, nothing ventured nothing gained right?

With her developed speed it didn't take long for Ten-Ten to close the gap again and re-engage Shino in close-combat.

Opening her attack with a pommel strike aimed at Shino's head, Ten-Ten soon switched it up to using her left elbow in an attempt to strike the boy's collarbone when he ducked under her sword. The second attack hit its mark though and Shino crumbled down to one knee. Taking advantage, Ten-Ten quickly spun around slid the blade of her sword so that it was pressed gently to Shino's collared throat.

"Call off your bugs _now_ Aburame; I know they're all you have left, so there's none in your body to stop me from pummeling you into the ground. You lose."

With his bluff called, and no other cards left to play, Shino had no choice but to forfeit his match. With Ten-Ten declared the winner a crew was brought in to clean up the arena, both weapons and dead bugs were cleaned up. Ten-Ten made sure to mention to them to keep her weapons all in one place so that she could seal them back up later. From there she and Shino returned to the risers with the rest of the genin that remained.

 **xXx**

"Looks like you're down to one Kurenai," Asuma teased the red-eyed beauty. "Maybe you should have waited after all; it looks like your team's about to get swept."

The Jounin kunoichi in question glared at the bearded man and replied with, "Well look at who they were up against; an unstable Uchiha and a girl with a whole years worth of experience and training under one of the village's best instructors."

"Oh come on Kurenai, don't be like that. There's nobody to blame but yourself. You should have understood that your team just wasn't ready this year." Asuma went on to say.

"And what about yours," Kurenai rebuked. "Why'd you decide to enter _your_ team in these exams Asuma?"

"Because I have experience with training others, and not just from the few genin teams I've had, but also during my time with the Guard. I was tasked with training the new recruits for the Daimyo's army, so sorry if I feel my students stood a chance here." And then, to as insult to injury he said, "And lets not forget: one of my genin has already passed the preliminaries."

"At least I still have Hinata; there's still a chance."

"You two are so sad," Kakashi's voice interrupted them. "You both forget that two of my students have passed already?"

Kurenai turned her glare on Kakashi at this point and told him that his student should have been disqualified for his brutality against a fellow Leaf shinobi. "I mean, how can you stand there and tell me that something shouldn't be done about this?"

"That's not what I was trying to come across as Kurenai, so I will apologize for that, but what you're asking for is a bit extreme. To disqualify someone for 'excessive force' during the chunin exams is ludicrous. It's like putting a shinobi on trial for murder after he kills an enemy; ridiculous."

"Well we'll see what the Hokage has to say about that, because once the preliminaries are over you and I are going to have a little chat with him about all of this."

"Alright then, we will, and once the Hokage dismisses your claim I'd like an apology."

While the grown ups argued over their students, the genin were busy having discussions of their own about what was going on.

"I still can't believe Sasuke killed Kiba's dog," Choji mumbled behind a mouthful of chips, "what's going on inside that head of his to think the Inuzuka clan isn't going to retaliate?"

"Well that's just it Cho, I don't think Sasuke _was_ thinking out there. I think the guy was lost in his own emotions, about losing his eye, and didn't understand the meaning of 'stop and think'." Shikamaru answered his best friend. Both had been forced to choke down their sickness at the sight of Akamaru's mangled and broken body.

"What do you think will happen to him Shikamaru? Sasuke I mean; what do you think the Hokage and Kiba's clan are gonna do with him?"

"I don't know Choji, but whatever it is, I'm sure glad it's not happening to me."

"Actually, there's not much the Hokage can do about what happened," Naruto threw in his to cents. "These matches are actually outside any Kage's jurisdiction of power; it helps keep the other villages from feeling like the host could be cheating."

"But these are shinobi of Lord Sarutobi's own village; surely he can pass judgment in that case." Choji countered.

But Natuo just shook his blonde head and told the over-weight boy that wasn't true. "At least, not until after the exams are over. Otherwise it breaks the agreement that was set up during the creation of these tests, and that's something the old man won't do. No matter what."

"And are you okay with that?" This time it was Ten-Ten's voice that rang in everyone's ears. She had finished climbing the steps and made her way over towards Naruto to see what he'd thought of her victory, but when she heard what they were all talking about, the bun-haired girl couldn't help wonder about the blonde's personal opinion on the matter.

Blue eyes turned to stare into chocolate-brown as Naruto gave his answer. "Am I okay with someone having to watch their comrades die? No. But I also understand that death is an inevitable part of out profession, and to think that we're going to make it through our whole lives without seeing or _causing_ it is just plain ignorant."

For those who knew the old Naruto Uzumaki, this response came as unexpected. Since when had the class clown become a philosopher?

But for Ten-Ten the answer was acceptable.

"So what **'** d you think of my match? Pretty impressive stuff out there huh?"

"You did well, I'll grant you that much, but it's revealed a major flaw in your abilities Ten-Ten."

With her brow crinkled in confusion, the weapon mistress asked what that could be.

"You rely too much on your weapons; you didn't use a single jutsu out there," Naruto pointed out. "It almost cost you the match."

"Yeah," Ten-Ten agreed, "but I _did_ win didn't I? What does it matter about 'almost' if I get the victory?"

"Because just how many of those 'almosts' do you think you'll get away with? If you hadn't called Shino's bluff today it would have been him that was declared the winner and moving on to the finals. What about next time, during a mission? What if that next 'almost' comes at the cost of someone's life or a carrer-ending injury? What will you do then?"

"Do you not think you are being a bit harsh in your response Naruto Uzumaki?" Rock Lee stepped in. He heard the way the blonde was talking to his team-mate and didn't appreciate the younger boy's tone.

"As a matter-of-fact Lee, no, I don't." Naruto turned back to Ten-Ten, "And I'm not saying it's not great that you won, just that there was ways to make it easier, less risky. You told me your dream, but, what good will my part of that do you if you get killed before it happens?"

Ten-Ten listened to Naruto's words carefully. She realized that he was right.

"Then you'll teach me," she decided.

This threw the young Uzumaki for a loop. "What? Don't you already have a sensei though, why would you need to learn from me?"

"Because my Jounin instructor doesn't work with us on how to perform ninjutsu _or_ genjutsu; he works only in taijutsu. Sure, he teaches us the fundamentals about both and how to counteract them, but not how to _do_ any of them. And besides, you want me to teach you about sealing right? Doesn't this seem lie a fair trade to you?"

Naruto couldn't argue with the kunoichi's logic. And it _was_ better practice for him to teach others what he knew. So, seeing nothing wrong with the arrangement, the blonde nodded in agreement and told Ten-Ten that he accepted the girl's offer.

"Great, but we'll have to work out the details later because the next match is starting." The brunette pointed to the board, and sure enough, two new names had been posted in bright yellow.

Hinata Hyuga vs Zaku Abumi

 **xXx**

 **A/N: It came out a bit shorter than I would have liked, but there's chapter 16. What'd you guys think of Ten-Ten's fight?**

 **Hmm, not much to say here honestly, but next chapter I'll try my best to have more than one fight so I can try and speed these up. I'm sure you're all anxious to get the prelims over with and see what I have in store for Naruto's training.**

 **If I had to be honest, Vengeance and this would have to be my favorite works to post for right now. And while I am going to do that DBZ story, there's something about my Avatar story that I personally just really enjoy. Sorry, just felt like saying this.**

 **On an unrelated note, I watched the new X-men movie...it was lame! Way over-rated and not worth watching in theaters.**

 **Well that's all I can think of to say right now, so remember to review or send me PM's with any comments, concerns, or questions you may have.**


	13. Chapter 13

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.13- It's not over 'till it's over: the bloodbath that is the chunin exams.**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Hinata stared fearfully at her own name as it appeared on the selection screen. She had hoped to go last. Her attention was quickly drawn away from that though,and over to the other side of the room, when she heard someone laugh hysterically.

The culprit turned out to be a young genin from the Sound village. He had a mop of jet-black hair shaped like the end of a broom and was dressed in what looked like hand-me-downs. There was a cream-colored jersey over top a long-sleeved gray shirt. His lower-body was covered by a pair of black-and-white camo pants. Around his neck was more camo; this time in the form of a scarf.

"I believe that's your opponent Hinata," Shino pointed out beside her. After his defeat from Ten-Ten the Aburame had made his way back over to his team-mate. "His abilities are unknown, but if his fellow Oto shinobi are any indication, it will have something to do with sound waves. Be careful Hinata; there's a look in his eye that I find...troubling."

"I-I'll do my best Shino," Hinata muttered. She was nervous about facing a foe she knew nothing about, especially one who dealt with something as dangerous as sound waves.

But the heiress didn't let her fear stop her from making her way down the steps and onto the arena floor. After all, she had no chance of winning if she didn't at least try.

It wasn't long after she'd made her way onto the floor that Hinata was face to face with her opponent; and from the new closeness she could see just how sick and twisted the boy's grin was. It sent shivers through the heiress petite frame. Weren't smiles supposed to make you _want_ to talk to someone, rather than turn and run?

And if his twisted visage wasn't bad enough, when Zaku spoke Hinata likened it to the chattering of a rabid monkey.

"Ha! Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? I thought this was a tournament for fighters, not a beauty pageant. Can I get a real opponent please, and not a pampered puppy?"

Through a series of coughs, Hayate explained that Zaku was stuck with Hinata unless she forfeited.

Hinata did not.

"Fine," Zaku spat, "if I can't get you to give up I'll just have to pound you into a pulp." The Sound genin crouched low in a threatening stance with his hands clawed. "I hope you're ready princess, because I won't be going easy on you."

Hinata for her part said nothing, she simply swallowed the lump in her throat and bowed respectfully to her foe before settling into a basic _Gentle Fist_ stance. Her lavender eyes were soft, and held a look of nervousness, but if one looked close they'd see a tinge of determination rimmed around the edges of those pale orbs.

She hadn't been forced to face her cousin, or that frighteningly sadistic Suna genin with the red hair, so in Hinata's mind she actually had a real shot at winning if she gave it her all.

Zaku was one of those few who saw Hinata's determined glint, and it made the Oto ninja annoyed. He'd hoped to scare the girl away, and now that she stood in front of him with that look it only flared his ire. _'Orochimaru-sama wanted us to keep our abilities a secret as long as possible, Kin and that loser Dosu already ruined the plan, and now I have to throw the plan out the window to—what!?'_

While Zaku was deep in his mental rant Hinata had quickly noticed his lack of focus, and decided to take advantage of it. After all, it's not often your opponent makes such a mistake, and to not capitalize on it would be foolish.

So Hinata started the match off with a palm-strike aimed at Zaku's sternum; an attempt to end the match as soon as possible. But it seems the girl was too slow, because the Sound shinobi returned to the fight just soon enough that he managed to twist away from the deadly strike. Hoping to keep Zaku on the defensive though, Hinata didn't give up, and instead placed her weight on the ball of her foot before whipping around with a harsh kick. It found its mark, and Zaku was sent rolling back.

Not wanting to lose her edge Hinata charged her downed opponent...only to be sent rocketing back by a fierce blast of compressed air.

While Hinata slammed against the tiled floor Zaku stood tall, recovered from his small bought with misfortune. "How'd ya like that princess?" Zaku sneered to his downed foe. "That's my _Decapitating Sound Waves.'_ Packs quite a punch if I do say so myself."

If Hinata heard this she didn't show it. Instead, the rattled Hyuga heiress stumbled to her feet after pushing up off the floor. Wincing in pain, she patted the area of her hoodie that covered her stomach and found it was tender to the touch; there was definite bruising.

 _'I got lucky then,'_ Hinata thought as she kept a close eye on her opponent, _'because that type of attack could easily break bones or rip me apart if I'm not careful. But now I have a problem; how will I gt close again?'_

Because there was no way Zaku would space out like he had in the beginning of the battle, and that neat little trick he knew would easily keep Hinata as far away as he wanted.

"I'll have to find a way around it if I want any chance of winning," the Hyuga kunoichi mumbled quietly to herself. "But that's easier said than done," she grunted while dodging a shot from Zaku's hands.

While she was in mid-air Hinata pulled a handful of shurikem from her hip pouch and sent them soaring in her opponent's direction. But it seems Zaku's technique didn't require any cool down, because the twisted teen just aimed his palms and deflected the projectiles with another blast.

That wasn't good; it meant there was virtually no time in-between attacks for Hinata to get closer.

She'd have to think of something else.

Unfortunately, Zaku didn't feel much like waiting around, and was soon sending another powerful blast of compressed air her way. Hinata barrel-rolled out of the way, but was hard pressed to avoid the next attack that came her way; all the whi8le listening as Zaku laughed with malicious delight.

"Is this the extent of the great Hyuga clan's strength? What good are those fancy eyes of yours if your opponent's too far for you to hit them? Pathetic!"

As she managed to escape another one of Zaku's destructive blasts Hinata couldn't help letting his words break through the fragile wall of confidence she'd built before the match. He sounded almost like her father, almost like her cousin, in his harsh words. Her opponent was voicing his displeasure in her performance the same way the heiress' own family would do back home and it stung terribly.

She was trying her best, but even that didn't seem to be enough.

It was this spiraling train of thought that caused Hinata to misstep during her next attempt at dodging, stumbling over herself after landing, and then being knocked off her feet by the next attack that came her way.

But this one was at least twice as powerful as the first she'd been hit with, and as she landed Hinata was sure she felt at least three of her ribs crack from the impact.

Hinata coughed up spatters of blood as she shakily made it to her hands and knees. Her entire body was wracked with tremors as it shook violently from the assault it had just taken. And yet, the Hyuga heiress still managed to find her way to her feet. On shaky knees she activated her _Byakugan_ before falling back into her family's taijutsu stance.

Up on the platforms with the spectators, Kurenai was watching with rapt attention as her student signaled she was ready for round two.'

"Hinata please, be careful."

Asuma heard the new Jounin's whispered plea and turned a somber eye to her. "Kurenai I hate to say it, but I don't see much of a chance at victory here. Hinata has no sort of distance attacks other than weapons, and we've seen what happened there, which means her only hope is to get in close...but what what that Sound genin can do I don't see that happening."

"So what," the red-eyed beauty cut harshly as she turned her gaze on the man beside her, "should I just yell down for my student to give up?"

The Hokage's son frowned. "That's not what I'm saying here; but with what I can see of her opponent, that may have to happen soon. And I just want you to realize that, so Hinata doesn't get anymore hurt than she already is."

"We're ninja Asuma, getting hurt is one of those unavoidable clauses in out contract, and it's something I can see young Hinata needs to learn." Kakashi chimed in with his two cents. "Besides, if not for her own shyness, this match would still be in her favor."

"What do you mean Kakashi?" Kurenai wondered curiously. Sure, Hinata had a confidence problem, but the new Jounin hadn't seen it cause any problems other than that recent stumble. Before that her student had been doing fine.

Gai noticed the lost look in her eyes and chose to elaborate on what he knew his rival to mean. "Her jacket, it got in the way earlier in the match. If she hadn't been wearing it young Zaku wouldn't have fully escaped that first palm-strike. She would have grazed him just enough to damage his right lung, which would have caused him to stumble and leave him open to more than just that kick she'd thrown. A shame really when one thinks about it."

"B-But I've tried to get her top take it off!" Kurenai cried in frustration; if what was being said was true, than _her_ failure to inspire Hinata was why the girl was losing now. "She just won't do it."

"Probably because she hasn't been shown how much better a shinobi she'd be without it," Kakashi threw in. "I'm sure, if you took her aside for some private practice, and had her try it she'd realize the benefits. And that would make her more okay with doing it in public; which I'm guessing is the real problem."

"And how can you be so sure?" Kurenai questioned sharply. What made Kakashi think he knew her student better than her?

"Because I read her file back when we were asked to pick what squad we wanted to lead, and I also spoke with Iruka about each student too. Both explained that Hinata had a desire to prove herself as 'strong', one that if approached correctly, would help propel the girl to chunin in no time with her natural skill and ability to learn quickly through understanding."

"I've tried, but she won't listen to me," Kurenai argued back. "No matter what I say she just keeps refusing; even when I offer to train her privately."

"Maybe because you aren't the one she needs to hear it from." Kakashi surmised, and no one noticed the way his lone eye found its way across the across the room to one particular blonde swordsman.

But that was only for a moment, because commotion down below caught everyone's attention again.

Hinata had thrown a smoke-bomb to the ground and encased herself in its shroud.

 **xXx**

Back down in the arena Zaku laughed mockingly at the heiress' attempt at cover. "What do thinbk that'll do for you? I'll just blow it away!"

But just as he set his hands in motion, the Sound ninja noticed that not one but _four_ Hinata's exploded out from inside the cloud of smoke. One went airborne while two rushed out from the side, the last one came from dead center and raced straight for him.

The three others launched a mini barrage of weapons at Zaku in the hopes to either land a hit, or confuse him.

Quickly coming to the conclusion that three of them were clones, Zaku now just had to figure out which was the real one. Deciding to deal with the weapons first, the youth turned his hands outwards and blasted the two at his sides. When she shimmered out of existence he had his answer.

And so, turning his attention two the last two kunoichi he prepared another assault. One hand stretched on front while the other was aimed high. When the Hinata in the air twisted out of the way Zaku smirked...only to cry out in pain a moment later when the other Hinata began a furious _Gentle Fist_ assault on his body.

Spectators watched as the Hinata from above exploded in a cloud of smoke; it had been a _shadow-clone_. One with just enough chakra to trick Zaku...but from the looks of a haggard Hinata 'just enough' seemed to mean more than half her reserves.

 _'But it worked,'_ she thought triumphantly as she sent her fingers jabbing into Zaku's arms, before making a shot for his chest.

Unfortunately, the boy's time under Orochimaru increased his pain tolerance to tremendous heights, allowing him to grit through the pain he felt from those blows and catch Hinata's strike to his chest. From there he pulled her forward, swept her feet out from under her, and buried his other fist deep in her stomach.

The exhausted heiress went limp against her opponent, practically leaning on him to support her weight.

The _shadow-clone_ had been her last chance, all she had left was the energy to survive.

Zaku easily took notice of this grinned sadistically. This meant he could have some fun before the match was over.

Changing his grip the Sound genin wrapped his hand around Hinata's throat before shoving her back. He watched with a disgustingly twisted grin as she stumbled over her own feet before landing on her back. While the heiress gasped for breath Zaku stalked forward, but refrained from letting loose the entirety of his cruel nature.

He didn't need the proctor calling the match after all.

"Here, let me help you," he taunted as he reached down for the scruff of Hinata's jacket. Lifting the light-weight heiress back to unsteady feet Zaku teasingly asked if she wished to give up now.

Her response was not what he expected.

"No...I-I won't quit...I can s-still win."

The girl's persistence had been amusing in the beginning, but now, it just set Zaku on fire with rage. A rage he felt Hinata need to take responsibility for. So, faster than the heiress' weary eyes could follow Zaku sent his knee slamming into her bruised stomach, and then he watched as the kunoichi dropped top her knees.

Coughing up blood Hinata didn't have much time to register the immense pain radiating from her abdomen, because it was soon replaced by a sharper agony coming from her skull. Zaku had taken hold of her hair, and was yanking it back so as to force her to look up at him. Look up at the air cannon aimed directly at her.

 _'F-From this range, h-he'll blow mt head off!'_ Hinata thought in alarm.

"I'm getting real sick and tired of you princess, you've lost, why don't you just accept it!?"

Through trembling lips Hinata answered him. "B-Because, I never give up, not when there's a-always a way out."

 _'And not when the person I admire most is watching me,'_ she thought silently to herself.

"Well there's only one way out here princess, and here it is!" Zaku raged. " _Ninja art: Sonic disruption_!"

The amount of blood that washed over the arena floor was staggering, much worse though for Hinata, who was forced to close her eyes so as to not run the risk of catching some disease.

Zaku's screams reverberated off the stone walls as he howled in pain, clutching his now useless, bloody stump where a right arm used to be. "Gah! W-What the hell happened!? Why did it explode!?"

"I-I may not have had the chakra to use my _Byakugan_ , but I've studied the human body and its secrets my whole life, so it was easy to find which chakra points connected to your devices. That's why you were able to move before, because I didn't waste time going for your muscles, but for your tenketsu."

Hearing Hinata's explanation only added fuel to the fire that was Zaku's rage. One that blinded him to reason, and would cost him his other arm after he attempted to blow the heiress away with his remaining cannon.

It was after this Zaku quickly went into shock, dropping face first top the arena floor, and babbling about how it wasn't possible for him to have lost to such a weakling.

"And the winner is: Hinata Hyuga." Hayate announced.

Hinata made an attempt to get to her feet, but she was simply too tired from the match and quickly found herself falling. She was thankfully caught by her sensei, who had seen her struggle and rushed to help. And while the tired heiress wished with all her heart that her savior had been the blonde boy up in the rafters, his nod of a job well done was more than enough to put a smile on her face and lift her spirits.

She'd done well in his eyes, and that was better than any victory on the battlefield.

There were two more matches after hers that involved both of Kabuto's team-mates...Choji losing, as the other genin had the ability to steal chakra, while the other was beaten by Temari. His ability to stretch like a snake doing nothing against her fierce fan attacks.

It was the next two names that interested many in the crowd, as it was between Neji Hyuga and Kankuro from Suna.

 **xXx**

It didn't take either of the combatants to make their way down to the arena floor; both eager to get this over with.

"Feh, another Hyuga huh? If you're as lame as that last one this won't even take a minute." Kankuro boasted.

For his part Neji let loose his own scoff at being compared to Hinata before settling into a more advanced stance of his family's taijutsu, his blood line activating."I assure you, I'm nothing like that weakling. I am a _true_ Hyuga; a warrior. My eyes are sharper than hers, more deadly in their ability to predict, and they show me that by the end of this match you'll have revealed to us all just how pathetically obsolete your puppetry is in today's age."

The Hyuga boy's remarks against his craft started a fire in Kankuro's chest, one that blazed to life behind his beady black eyes, and had him tensing in anticipation for the fight to come.

Once Hayate announced the start of the battle Kankuro was quick to start things off.

"I'll show you 'outdated' tough guy," he growled while reaching back and bringing forth his tool. "If anything, my craft will overcome the likes of you dojutsu types and usher in a new era of the shinobi world!"

Neji's response was just to smirk condescendingly in the Suna boy's direction.

 _'Good,'_ he thought, _'I was right in my assumption, and now that he's running on emotion the fool won't think to use his head in the fight. As fate predicted, my superior mind will win the day here.'_

The Hyuga prodigy was more than ready for when Kankuro sent his puppet rushing in. He weaved around the serrated blades that posed as claws at the end of the wooden warriors hand and easily avoided the series of spikes that shot out from its back by ducking low.

Channeling his chakra into the tips of his fingers, Neji concentrated and turned it into sharp cones that flared over his digits. Using this trick the Hyuga boy easily cut the lines of chakra his eyes found connected to the puppets back. From there it was all about closing the gap between himself and the shocked Suna native.

Kankuro tried to avoid the furious fingers that speared into his chakra points, but Neji was just too fast, and in a few short seconds had left the warpaint-wearing older boy with no access to his chakra or muscle movement.

A clear difference in skill between himself and Hinata who had battled before.

When he was finished Neji just stood there, tall and proud, as his foe slunked down to the arena floor like a lifeless rag doll. Kankuro found he could still move his eyes and looked up at the one who had defeated him...only to shiver at what he saw.

Neji's _Byakugan_ was nothing like what he'd seen on the other girl's face, no, his looked fierce and deadly. It was like being a mouse and staring into the hungry gaze of a falcon. It was mind-numbing, it was bone-chilling, it was...like Neji could see right through him. Could see everything about Kankuro; even his deepest, darkest secrets and fears.

And that frightened the older boy.

He'd never faced someone like Neji Hyuga before, and now, he prayed he never did again.

All but Kankuro heard Hayate call the match, and the Suna genin barely registered that medical ninja were taking him away. He was only really aware of the cold feeling of fear as it rushed through his veins. A fear he thought was reserved solely for Gaara.

"Alright, and now we've come to the conclusion of the preliminaries; there are only two challengers left, so would Gaara and Rock Lee please make their way down to the arena?" The sickly Jounin called out in a voice mired in coughs.

It was time, the final match was about to begin. All who remained in the stands held there breath as the two combatants made their way to the floor.

Rock Lee of Konoha against Suna's most dangerous shinobi, Gaara of the desert.

The question on everyone's mind wasn't really who would win, but how much torment would each fighter go through before one was crowned victorious.

 **xXx**

 **A/N: And there's the next chapter. After this is the end of the preliminaries(finally) and the beginning of Naruto's training.**

 **No, I didn't kill Hinata, and it's because realistically I don't feel Zaku was really that strong. Out of the three I considered Dosu to be the biggest threat. That, and Zaku was dumb, which makes it easy for someone like Hinata(who has a more strategic mind) to beat him when given time to come up with a plan.**

 **Now, I know, her using the Shadow-clone was a bit far fetched, but then I remembered that it was the Multi Shadow-clone jutsu that was forbidden. The Shadow-clone itself I believe can be done relatively easily by anyone with enough chakra to spare because it's divided equally.**

 **However, I did show that while Hinata was able to do it, there was nothing she was going to be able to do afterwards if she couldn't win after using it. Because, honestly, she wouldn't have. Which is why she chose to attack Zaku's chakra points, so that his arm cannons wouldn't function.**

 **But anyway, Neji's match, what did you guys think? Because I feel like I did pretty good there in showcasing the drastic difference in strength between him and, not just Hinata(who even though I don't like admitting it, had zero chance of beating Neji), but the rest of the genin who participated.**

 **I always felt that Neji's power was never really played on; I mean, come on, how did Naruto win after a month of doing nothing!? There should have been no way. Stupid plot armor -_-**

 **BUT my Naruto won't be anything like that, so it's okay lol.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think, and be ready for Rock Lee's match against Gaara. Let me know your thoughts or concerns, or ask questions, through reviewing or sending me a PM.**

 **Oh, and ignore the number at the bottom, it was my confirmation # for calling out of work last night.**

98046809


	14. Chapter 14

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch. 14- The fires of youth explode...but will it be enough?**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

When Rock Lee realized that only Gaara and himself remained in the pool of names, the spandex-clad youth couldn't help letting loose a cry of excitement. Finally, after all that waiting, it was his time to shine.

"It is now my turn to show off my fires of youth!" He hollered. "After watching the other fighters I can hardly contain myself, it feels like I just might explode!"

"Yes Lee," Gai cheered, "go forth and show these uninspired saplings the true power of your youth!"

"I will Gai-sensei! I will win and make you proud!"

As he finished speaking the bowl-haired genin leaped off the platform and flipped in the air before landing on the arena floor. His wide, raven eyes turned up towards the platform opposite the one he'd jumped from and stared hard at the red-head that looked down at _him_.

That red-head vanished in a whirl of sand and was soon standing a few meters away from Lee.

Hayate eyes both combatants, gauging their readiness. When it seemed neither genin had no intentions of giving up, and simply wished to get the battle started he raised his arm and began the match.

"Begin!"

"Right," Lee whispered to himself before launching forward. His quick steps closed the gap between himself and Gaara in a matter of seconds, and once he was close enough Lee jumped into the air and unleashed a furious spin-kick. "Leaf Hurricane!"

The attack whipped around hard, sure to knock an opponent on their ass...only to strop short of its target when it hit a wall of sand.

Lee's eyes widened in disbelief, not able to understand what he'd just seen.

But he didn't have too long to think about it, because after landing Lee was forced to jump back, as a wave of sand attempted to swallow him.

Landing back on his feet Lee watched as the large pool of sand retreated back into the gourd strapped to Gaara's back. _'So it is sand that he keeps in there,'_ he thought, _'and it seems his jutsu center on using that sand as a shifting sort of shield. I can tell getting past it wont be easy, but nothing ventured nothing gained."_

What followed was a series of unsuccessful attempts to break through Gaara's sand. It seemed that no matter what angle, no matter how hard the hit, Lee just couldn't land a blow. Even attacking from the red-head's blind spot didn't work; the sand just sprang up in Gaara's defense, without the Suna genin having to move a muscle.

Deciding to try something new, Rock Lee twisted in the air after avoiding another sand trap and let loose a small hail of shuriken. From there, once his feet were back on the ground, the spandex-clad youth sped around to Gaara's back and tried for another spin-kick.

Not surprisingly, although it spelled even worse news for Lee, the sand shot up and protected the red head in both the front _and_ back.

 _'Which means it is not limited to just one area like I had hoped,'_ Lee thought in slight frustration.

Anymore thinking was put on hold as Gaara's sand pushed forward in another attempt at crushing Lee in its grip. The Leaf genin used his superior speed to avoid it, but he also knew that if he didn't come up with something soon then the match may very well be called as a draw.

Up in the rafters all eyes were trained on the match below. Unlike many of the other fights that had taken place, this one was hard to predict. No one, other than the rest of the group from Suna, had an idea of what might happen.

And for some it was nerve wracking.

"I don't get it," Sakura muttered in confusion, "doesn't he understand that taijutsu isn't working? Why isn't he getting some distance and using a ninjutsu, or even a genjutsu?"

Gai heard the girls curiosity, and went on to explain how, while that would be ideal, Lee had no skill in either one of those fields. The young genin's only ability as a shinobi lay in his taijutsu.

"B-But it's not working!" Sakura cried in frustration. "If all he can do is taijutsu, then there's no way he'll be able to win, even with his speed—hey, what's so funny!?"

While the pinkette went on with her small tirade Gai had begun to laugh, further flaming the Haruno girls ire. But just quickly as he started, Gai stopped and yelled out to his student, who had just leaped up onto the statue of the 'ram' hand-sign that was located underneath the selection board.

"Lee!" Gai hollered to his favorite student. When the Jounin's mini-me looked over at him, the older shinobi gave one simple instruction: take them off.

To the rest of the rooms occupancy this order seemed random, even foolish, in its deliverance. After all, what could the boy possibly remove that would give him an edge over Gaara's invincible sand? However, if one were to look over at Rock Lee they'd easily see the hopeful shine in his eyes.

"R-Really sensei? I thought that was only to be done when the lives of very important people were at stake?"

Gai gave his hesitant student a firm nod. " _This_ is an exception Lee; you need every advantage you can get against an opponent like this. Now...do it!"

Lee's face broke out into a watery smile, one that spoke volumes about how happy he was to hear the Jounin say those words. Bur this just caused more confusion for the rest of the people watching the exchange; after all, what could they really be talking about here?

The answer came when Lee seated himself atop the statue and slid his leg warmers down to his ankles.

Weights. The young genin was wearing leg weights.

Now it made sense; removing the weights would make Lee faster. But the practice of weight wearing was only done in the beginning stages of training, because most shinobi found the use of chakra to enhance themselves to be more 'efficient'. So how much faster could a few pounds really make the boy?

But for someone like Naruto, who knew the true power of weighted training, looked on with anticipation. He himself wore about fifty pounds on each limb, and Lee was still faster than him after taking them off, so how much faster would the boy be now?

And so, as Lee dropped his weights, Naruto's blue eyes stayed trained on _them_ as the training materials dropped like falling stars...and put holes in the ground as they broke through the tiled arena floor.

For many it was an unbelievable sight, as it was unheard of for anyone to continue weighted training to such a level. But Naruto just smirked; Lee was becoming more and more interesting to him.

The youth in question stood from his seated position and stretched his freed limbs, sighing in relaxation as his muscles were freed of their burden. That relaxed expression broke into a fierce grin though as Rock Lee squatted in a poncing position and said, "Now then, get ready Gaara, because here I come!"

And come he did.

Lee vanished from sight, his new found level of speed surprising even the Jounin in the room enough that some momentarily lost sight of him, before he reappeared beside Gaara and struck out with a hard right-cross.

Gaara' sea-green eyes widened in disbelief when he actually _felt_ his opponent's knuckles graze his cheek.

His sand had barely made it in time to stop the attack!

Something Lee noticed immediately.

This put a smile on his face as he rounded on his red-headed opponent and struck out with a roundhouse-klick. For a second time, Gaara's sand made it just in time to save the boy from being struck, but only just.

The attacks came from every angle, seemingly getting faster and faster until Lee just stopped being visible altogether. Every person watching the fight could easily see Gaara's apprehensive look, and understood it, because if Lee got any faster or that sand slipped one time, then the red-head's title of invincibility would shatter.

"Got you!" Lee's voice called out from above. Gaara barely had time to look up in shock before his head was snapped back down.

Lee had done what no other shinobi had, and what every person in Suna believed possible...Rock Lee was now the first and only person to land a hit on Gaara.

But while all those who were rooting for the Leaf genin cheered, others like Naruto and Neji just continued to look at the match with unwavering scrutiny. Sure, they gave Lee points for managing to get past the red-head's seemingly impenetrable defense, but there was obviously more to this Gaara than just a wall of sand that made him so dangerous.

And that's why, when Lee went to land a haymaker on his opponent's cheek, those still truly watching the match weren't surprised when the spandex-clad boy's feet were pulled out from under him.

Lee's eyes widened in astonishment as he felt the ground disappear from underneath him, and then closed in pain when he was whipped back and slammed against the floor. Grunting in pain, the youthful fighter made an attempt to get to his feet, only to cry out in distress when he was once again carried through the air and sent face-first into the ground for a second time.

This went on until Gaara regained his composure, and then it seemed to become a game about how long Lee could hold his lunch while being spun at top speed.

"You seem to like moving fast, so this should be no problem for you," Gaara's gravely voice echoed in Lee's ears. But the red-head soon got bored of this and decided it was better to continue the match. So, creating a hardened shell of sand around himself, Gaara motioned for the sand to crash Lee against the wall.

Lee crossed his arms in a feeble defense and grit his teeth when his body shook from the impact; he would later swear he could feel his bones vibrating.

But it wasn't anything he couldn't recover from, and soon Rock Lee was back on his feet. However, when he turned his attention back to Gaara, Lee found the red-head in a new style of defense he hadn't seen before.

It was a shell of sand. One that left only a slight gap near the front; no doubt so that Gaara could see what went on in front of him.

And while he knew the shell wouldn't be easy to break, Lee simply looked at it as a new challenge: 'How many hits before it breaks.

Unfortunately, the game was going to be a little harder than that, because every time Lee made an attempt to get close Gaara's new line of defense would thrust spears of hardened sand from its surface and attempt to impale the green-glad genin. Lee was saved because of his fast feet, but it was becoming an increasing annoyance not being able to get within even ten feet of his opponent.

 _'My current level of speed will not cut it. If I am to have any chance of getting past those spears I'll have to open the first gate...I just hope it will also be enough to break through that new defense of his. I'd rather not resort to using any more than that.'_ Lee thought solemnly. Gai-sensei had warned him of what would happen if he went too far, and the young shinobi had no desire to experience it first hand.

So, with his hopes set high, Lee settled far enough away from Gaara to not be perceived as a threat and closed his eyes. He needed a moment of focus.

But only a moment. Like a light switch Lee's body turned up its intensity; the boy could feel his strength increasing as the blood flowed a little faster through his veins. And once this feeling reached his feet, Lee was gone again.

And this time, he managed to avoid all the spears, before reaching Gaara's shell and hitting it with a vicious sucker-punch.

Only for it not to work.

Lee could see that it had shaken the ball up, but it hadn't been enough to break through the hardened sand that now felt like solid steel. So he tried again, from a different angle though, because he was almost skewered by another sand spear.

Gaara's claim of having the ultimate defense was proving to be more than just blown smoke, as Lee was left hammering away at the sand bubble with no sign of it giving in.

"This is crazy," Ino said aloud as she watched the fight below. "Even after getting faster Lee can't seem to get through that guy's sand wall."

"I know," Sakura agreed, "but what I wanna know is what Lee did to get so much faster a minute ago. I didn't see him take off anymore weights, but now he's able to dodge those spears no problem."

Naruto was curious too, because now even his eyes couldn't keep up with Lee, whereas before the blonde was able to at least keep track of the older boy. But now, he felt Lee might as well be a Jounin and he an academy student. It was ind-boggling.

At least until a voice began to explain it. "It's because Lee has used the first stage of a very powerful, but _dangerous_ technique." Kakashi said, putting extreme emphasis on the techniques drawbacks. He let his lone eye settle on Rock Lee's Jounin instructor, harsh with judgment, as he asked how the man could even consider allowing the boy to learn about the eight gates.

"What exactly are these gates Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned, as even in her extensive studies back at the academy the pinkette had no knowledge of this technique.

Gai answered the question, explaining that the gates were chakra limiters to keep the body from burning itself out too soon. And that the technique he taught Lee was a way to push past those limits...at the cost of your physical health. "If you use too many of the gates at one time it will kill you."

"S-So how many of the gates did Lee already open?" Sakura questioned in a voice thick with worry. The guy may have been an oddball, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him kill himself. "I-I mean, he's so fast and strong, he has to used at least two or three gates already."

"No," was Gai's reply, "Lee has only just activated the first gate: _The Gate of Opening_. It releases the minds restraints on the body, allowing the person full use of their true strength and speed. My Lee only seems so much more powerful because the gate amplified his already fantastic speed."

 _'This is only the first gate?'_ Naruto thought in amazement. ' _Just thinking about the kind of power these gates can give you is mind-boggling!'_

As if reading the blonde's thoughts, down below Lee showed off just how strong he was now by actually managing to crack Gaara's sand defense. He had been pounding away at it during the spectators conversation and finally managed to put a chink in the sand's armor-like structure.

But that celebration was short lived, as right after the dent was made Lee was slammed in the chest by a pressurized blast of sand and sent reeling back.

Rolling on the ground Lee barely managed to avoid being swallowed by another title wave of the grainy earth particle. His body ached terribly, feeling like he'd just been slammed repeatedly by a meat tenderizer, but Lee pushed on in attempting to keep out of Gaara's reach.

The first gate had worn off.

Back in the rafters people began to worry for Lee as they watched him struggle to stay away from Gaara's sand. Where was the green speedster that was, just moments ago, defying all odds and looked to be the winner of the match?

"What's he doing," Ino wondered, "with his speed those sand waves should be nothing for him. Why isn't he dodging them?"

Gai sighed and everyone who heard him could tell his answer wouldn't be one they wanted to hear.

And it wasn't.

"For one very simple reason...he can't. Lee's body is suffering from the after effects of opening the first gate; complete exhaustion. It's the price the user pays for pushing themselves beyond their set limits to such a fierce degree all at once. Right now Lee shouldn't even be able to move, and it's only by sheer will that my student is able to move any part of his body."

Sakura turned her emerald gaze on the older shinobi and looked at the man in horror as she was told the truth. "B-But will power isn't going to help Lee survive against that Sand ninja, let alone win! Isn't there anything that can be done for him?"

The pinkette was further surprised, and angered, when Gai laughed lightly at her worries.

"Hey! This isn't funny, don't you care about what happens to Lee at all; how can you be laughing right now!?"

"Because," Gai replied during a break in his laughter, "if you'd watch the match instead of jumping to conclusions you'd see that my Lee is far from finished."

Sakura did as he said and couldn't believe her eyes when she Lee smiling. He was just standing there, facing down a massive wave of sand, and he had a confident smirk penciled across his face.

And then he vanished.

 _'W-What!?'_ Sakura couldn't believe it. What just happened?

The next time she saw Lee the bowl-haired genin was floating above Gaara's sand sphere, preparing a vicious ax-kick, only to disappear again when a spear of the earthy substance tried to skewer him.

"The lotus of the Hidden Leaf blooms twice," Gai's voice cut into Sakura's shocked thoughts. "Lee's body isn't like a normal shinobi's, through his extensive training he's broken himself down and been repaired more times than most in our field ever will, and _that_ has helped to create the spectacle you see before you; the ideal physical condition for a ninja. Lee's body recovers three, maybe even four times faster than the normal person's now."

Those near enough listened as they watched and could see that Gai spoke the truth. There was no grimaces or jerks of pain in any of Lee's movements. He was completely fine again, and he was moving even faster than before.

He had opened the second gate.

"This is insane," Shikamaru muttered as he watched his fellow genin move at Jounin-level speeds. "What's this guy made of?"

"Hard work and a dream," was Gai's proud response.

 _'But will it be enough,'_ Naruto wondered. Because so far, for all that increase in speed and strength, Lee hadn't managed to put another crack in Gaara's sphere. And the one he'd placed before had long since been recovered.

As if reading the blonde's thoughts Lee changed his approach. Instead of striking different points hoping to wear it down, the spandex-clad youth focused his efforts on pounding one spot at the back of the sphere. When Gaara's sand tried to retaliate he'd circle the large defense until he found another opening and attacked again.

It was as the spot began to crack that Gaara must have realized he'd need to try another offensive approach.

Sand seemed to melt off from all angles of the sphere, forming mounds of the earthy particle on the ground, which then morphed into clones of the red-head inside. Each replica grinned cockily at the dust storm that encircled their creators dome. Who did this little rodent think he was?

The next thing everyone saw was something no one expected...Gaara's clones started to weave hand-signs.

They were slow, from not being practiced, but each one only performed three before unleashing their combined attack.

" _Wind-Style: Great Breakthrough_!"

Each Gaara clone thrust a palm outwards and let loose vicious gales of wind at every angle of the vortex Lee created with his running. Lee, caught too off-guard by the use of a wind jutsu from someone from a village like Suna, was caught by one of the harsh blasts and sent flying.

Luckily he recovered fast though and landed on his feet.

One of Gaara's clones looked at him as if he were an insect and laughed.

"You didn't really think it'd be that easy did you? This match isn't over, not until I've been satisfied, not until we've had enough blood!"

Gaara's clone stretched out his hand, the other clones fell apart, and then he turned those dismantled clones into a dragon of sand. The grainy reptile was directed towards the still downed Lee, and it raced through the air with its mouth wide open ready to tear into the boy's flesh.

On Lee's end, his shock was thrown out the window when his ears rang with the loud roar that came from his opponent's newest threat. Shaking his head to clear it, Lee pressed his hands and feet against the floor and pushed off. Vanishing from sight the young taijutsu specialist just barely avoided begin caught in the jaws of Gaara's dragon.

A moment later Lee's foot knocked the head off Gaara's clone, effectively ending the sand dragons rampage. Or so he thought.

Instead, the medium-sized creature of earth turned sharply to avoid smashing into the ground and shot towards Lee. Confused, but determined to avoid the dragon, Lee began to run knowing that any form of attack would put him too close for comfort with the Suna genin's jutsu.

It was as he twisted away from another snake-like lunge that Lee saw it.

A hole, one just big enough to see through, had opened up in Gaara's sand sphere.

 _'He must have did it when his clones knocked me down with their combo attack, which means it wasn't the clone that created the dragon, but he himself. Very clever, using his clones speech to draw my attention away from the sphere so that I would not see him weave the hand-signs for his technique.'_

But in doing so Gaara had left an opening. One that Lee intended to use to his advantage.

After avoiding another of the dragons attacks Lee jumped back and entered into a launching position. When next Gaara's jutsu turned to face him the spandex-clad fighter rushed it, making everyone believe the dragon was his target.

Even Gaara himself.

And that's why the red-head was expecting to see Lee suddenly appear in front of his sand sphere with a smirk on his face.

"That was a nice try, but unfortunately I saw through your little trick," he said as he shot a hand inside the hole and gripped Gaara's gourd strap. "Now then, I believe it is time you saw some sun."

With a harsh pull Lee made to tear Gaara out of his sand defense...only to fail when the hole closed around his arm, trapping the young Leaf ninja in place. "No way!"

Lee tugged at his arm with everything he had, but even his increased strength was no match for the vice-like grip of Gaara's sand. _'Then maybe I will just have to push myself even further,'_ Lee thought with conviction.

However, whatever he had planned was ground to a halt by the immense pain that came from being slammed by Gaara's dragon. It seems that, with Lee trapped, the red-head didn't need to see where his dragon needed to go next.

When the jutsu finally ended and fell apart, it revealed Lee's back to the world; one that was slick with blood and barely covered by the tattered remains of his spandex top.

But the genin in question just grit his teeth and focused his chakra. In seconds, his entire body turned an unhealthy shade of red as his hair flared up like a flame. The boy's eyes seemed to melt away until only the whites were left behind. And his chakra output became so enormous that it radiated from his body like an aura.

Clenching his fist, Lee pulled his arm back, and while freeing his hand also tore apart a section of Gaara's sphere.

Gaara's sea-green eyes stared in awe at his opponent, who was hovering only feet above him, as the raven-haired youth disappeared again. When the section of his shell behind him fell apart from the force of Lee's kick Gaara knew that his latest defense wasn't going to cut it anymore.

Focusing chakra into the remains of his sphere, and making sure to crouch deep enough to be out of Lee's grip, Gaara began to weave more hand-signs. His next attack had to be a strong one.

When the sand defense didn't immediately fall to his next attack Lee knew Gaara had to be up to something. And not wanting to give the other boy time to set it up, Lee made sure to hit his next target with quick, successive strikes, and was glad to see that the sand fell to the new assault. It was only a mater of time now.

 _'I will not lose here!'_ They both thought to themselves.

When Gaara's sphere was left in pieces, and the red-head himself exposed, Lee went in for the kill. Pushing off the air he rocketed towards Gaara and landed a hard right to the other boy's cheek. Gaara barely had time to grunt in pain before being torn from the ground by the force of the blow and sent sailing through the air.

Unfortunately, Lee didn't feel like letting Gaara get away. Instead he wrapped bandages around the red-head's sash and pulled him back, before hitting him again. For the next several seconds Lee used his opponent like a human paddle ball before Gaara's sash gave out and he was sent crashing into the foot of the arena's statue.

Or at least, he would have, if Lee hadn't seemingly teleported behind him and delivered a vicious kick that sent Gaara into the air.

Disappearing again Lee was soon seen above Gaara, rearing his fist back and smashing it into the red-head's gut; sending him rocketing towards the arena floor.

The explosion that followed Gaara's impact shook the ground like an earthquake, and the dust cloud that followed was so thick Sasuke wondered if even his new _Sharingan_ could pierce it. But in spite of this Lee followed, allowing himself to be swallowed by the thick haze, just so that he'd be ready for when and if Gaara got up again.

It took a little time, but eventually the dust cleared away and those up in the rafters could see what was going on down below, and what they saw was something no one had really expected.

Gaara laid, unconscious, in a shallow pit. The gourd on his back had been shattered by the impact and lay in pieces around him, while Gaara himself just remained still like a broken doll.

Hayate saw this and came over. Taking a look, the sickly Jounin knelt down beside the downed Suna genin and placed two fingers along the pulse point at Gaara's neck. His next words were something no one believed was possible.

"The match isn't over...this Gaara is a clone."

As if to reiterate the point, the ground beneath Lee erupted as a large geyser of sand shot out and blasted the Leaf genin skyward. Having powered down from opening five of the eight gates Lee was now left with no means to defend himself though, so there was no quick recovery, which meant he had no choice but to let gravity slam him back down to the ground.

His body wracked with pain Lee lifted his head and watch as Gaara, completely unharmed, seemed to morph from the sand that had just came out of the ground. There was a maniacle look in his eye, like a demon eyeing his prey, and hishair shadowed it just right so Lee could only see the animalistic glint that shone brightly behind the sea-green color.

 _'Just what is he?'_ Lee wondered as he spasmed from the pain.

"That was a nice try," Gaara taunted, "but your next move was so predictable that I had no problem figuring out a way to defeat you." The red-head lifted a hand, aiming it and the sand towards Lee's defeated position. "This match was boring, you failed to entertain me. I only hope your death will make up for this disappointment."

Gaara's sand shot forward with his wordless command and was set to engulf Lee in its destructive grip.

Except Hayate saved the youth at the last minute, scooping him up and jumping out of the range of Gaara's killer sand.

"That's enough," the Jounin said. "Lee unable to continue, the match is over. I am declaring Gaara of Suna the winner."

It was nothing like some of the other battles, there was no grand ending, but with that the preliminary rounds were finally over.

 **xXx**

Naruto stared at the small slip of paper in his hand, it had an address on it. He was contemplating whether or not to take up the person's offer for help.

After Lee's match with Gaara the Hokage explained that the remaining chunin candidates had exactly one month to prepare for the final matches; as that's how long it would take all of the attending dignitaries to arrive. He also had them draw lots, to see who would face who, and in what order.

Naruto was up first, against Ten-Ten, while Sasuke was somewhere in the middle set to battle against Gaara.

Once the positions were set both Naruto and Ten-Ten agreed they would put off any form of training together until after the finals; and it was this conversation that sparked the interest of the one who'd given Naruto the paper. They'd caught the blonde before he'd left the tower and explained that they wished to repay a debt through the offer of training him for the finals, so they handed him the slip before bidding him goodbye.

And now here he was, standing at the persons door, contemplating if he should knock or not.

It was the weight of _Kubikiribocho_ on his back, and the dream of honoring Zabuza's memory that convinced Naruto to reach out and let the person know he was outisde.

 _'Besides, with Kakashi-sensei starting Sasuke's training I'll need someone else to step in and f_ _ill that gap. And I guess learning what she knows can't hurt; she's not a Jounin for nothing after all.'_

When the door opened Naruto looked up and let his ocean-blue eyes meet with Anko's own pupil-less brown pair. She had a smirk on her face, like she knew he'd show up, before asking if he was ready to get started.

"Right now?" He questioned. "Don't you wanna kn ow what I've learned so far, so that you can see what to work with me on?"

"Nope" she answered carelessly with a wave of the hand. "Besides, if I'm gonna convince the old man to let me take you out of the village for training the sooner the better, you don't have time to waste on being asked silly questions."

Naruto eyed the older woman curiously as she made her way in the direction of the Hokage's office. "Training _outside_ the village? What's out there that we can't do at a training ground?"

Her next words let Naruto know that the next month was going to be nothing like he'd expected.

"Well, for starters, you can't come with me on my latest mission if you stay here in the village kid."

 **xXx**

 **A/N: The ending to this chapter is one I consider a bit lack luster, and I honestly feel that way about the battle as well, but this chapter wasn't one that I was looking forward to doing. It's just that, there wasn't much I could think of to do to make it more interesting.**

 **Oh well, at least to preliminary rounds are out of the way and the training can begin. And I do mean actual training, not that one month summoning crap Jiraiya had him do...although summoning will be a factor in his training early on, so expect that.**

 **Anyway, yes, Anko is his main teacher this time. And no, this doesn't mean anything other than that, so please don't question me about pairings, because I've already explained that that's not going to be a real factor in the beginning. I'm just trying to have Naruto interact with people and build actual relationships besides the one he had with his team; hence why I'm having him leave the village for his training.**

 **One thing I don't understand is, why would the fact that I haven't picked a pairing yet bother someone? Like with how I don't really have a lot of interaction between Naruto and Hinata, this bothered someone enough that I guess they stopped reading, and I'm very curious...why?**

 **I'm not trying to force anything, so I'm not just going to have Naruto/Hinata moments with there being no reason behind them. Like when she battled Zaku, there was no reason to have Naruto shout encouragements because she wasn't ready to give up, she was fighting. So...someone please explain.**

 **But whatever, the preliminary rounds are finally over and the story can move on. Let me know yout thoughts through a PM or a review. Same with any questions or anything else.**

 **Oh, and for people waiting on Rise next chapter, my main focus is on Vengeance or this story right now, which is why the other stories haven't been updated lately. And even then, the updates for those come like once a month now because my job has me so damn tired during the day.**

 **Everything is still 'alive', nothing has been canceled or killed off, I'm just focusing my time on the two I'm enjoying the most personally right now. I pretty much already have Rise figured out in term,s of where it's going, so It's like seeing the future, which makes me secure with it. But with these two I know there's a lot of things I could do to make them more interesting...and one thing in particular I feel I should have done with this story but know it's too late to change. (Although through that failure rose a new, better idea, so it worked out.)**

 **Anyway there you go, that's everythng I feel I need to say, and yes that word is misspelled but I don't feel like fixing it right now because it's hot and I'm tired, so I'll see everyone next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch. 15- The first step, Naruto's training begins in the Land of Sea.**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Naruto and Anko stood before the Third Hokage, one filled with a giddy sense of hope while the other was left with curiosity. After all, what would it mean for his training if the elderly leader said 'no' to Anko's request?

 _'I suppose I could always go back to my original methods, but increase the intensity this time around,'_ the blonde rationalized. _'But I honestly don't want it to come to that; I'm actually a little hopeful the old man says yes, just so I can have some time outside the village if nothing else.'_

As if reading the young genin's thoughts the Sarutobi Clan head pulled his pipe away and finally answered the purple-haired Jounin's request.

"Before I even think of agreeing to this, I want you to explain the reason you've chosen Naruto out of all the genin who, not just made it to the finals, but also reside within the village. What makes him so special?"

Seeing her Hokage so serious cooled Anko's eager mood, and as she settled down and stood straight, the beautiful woman answered the white-robed man that sat before her. "For starters Hokage-sama I owe him a debt; during my run-in with Orochimaru I was incapacitated, and rather than leave me there to chase him, young Uzumaki stayed behind and made sure I arrived at the tower safely. I can't possibly let something like that go, not when I know the number of _genin_ willing to perform such an act is something I believe I could count on one hand. But, aside from that, after hearing his report back at the tower and seeing him in action during the preliminaries I feel that Naruto Uzumaki has an unrivaled amount of potential that has yet to fully be explored...and I'd like to be the first person to try."

Hiruzen gave his subordinate a curious gaze as he asked her how she felt about the young boy's time under Kakashi. "Are you saying he hasn't already done a good job in tapping into this 'unrivaled potential'?"

"Of course not Hokage-Sama," Anko immediately replied, "I meant nop offense to my fellow Leaf shinobi. All I was trying to say is that much of the boy's training has been in brute force; and although using three affinities at his age is impressive, I feel that Naruto Uzumaki should be instructed in the subtle arts of our profession along with the loud."

"And you believe yourself to be the ideal teacher." It wasn't a question. Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Anko never did anything without being sure first, it was why she had never bothered to chose any students, as she had not meat any that made her certain that they would succeed under her care.

The woman's shrewd mind, and passionate words, made Hiruzen feel more secure about placng Naruto in her care. Which is why he said: "Very well then, I grant you permission to be his _temporary_ instructor. Once the finals are over, if he is not promoted to chunin, he will once again be assigned to Team 7 and placed under the care of Kakashi."

Anko's face split into a wide, happy, grin. One that stretched so far that her warm, brown eyes were forced to close giving her the impression of a kid in a candy store. Bowing low she thanked her Hokage before coming back up and asking: "So does this mean I can take him with me on my mission to the Land of Sea?"

This threw Hiruzen for a loop, something that was evident by the way he coughed up the smoke he'd just sucked down from his pipe.

"W-What? Anko, didn't you just get me to agree to letting you train Naruto for the month? I thought you would want a reduction in missions during this time, not more."

Anko gave the old Fire Shadow a rapid shake of her head to indicate that wasn't the case. "Of course I still want the mission Lord Hokage, it's imperative to my teaching style; I want the kid to see what I intend to teach him in action, so he'll see how it's applied in a real-life situation. I don't wanna jut have him learn and practice something in a field, then take it into the real world blindly, I want him to truly understand what it means to be a shinobi...and that includes the assassination aspect of the job too."

This bit of information made Naruto turn sharply in his temporary sensei's direction. Assassination? What kind of mission was Anko trying to get him into?

The head of the Sarutobi Clan saw this and asked Anko if she was serious. "He's only twelve years old, what makes you think he's ready for assassination?"

"He tore a hole right through that Sound genin in the very first match of the preliminaries didn't he? What's wrong with having him experience the art of silent killing too?"

"Because in the case of assassination the target is generally asleep, unarmed, or otherwise unaware of the act. Naruto's kill was during a match, against someone who was trying to kill him, it's completely different."

Anko's gaze hardened a little; she wasn't going to budge. "That doesn't change the fact that, Naruto Uzumaki is a _shinobi_ ; a ninja. He will at some point in his career perform an assassination, why not now? I went on my first mission when I was only a year older than him-"

"But those were different times," Hiruzen cut her off. "The number of needed assassinations has dropped significantly since you were a genin Anko, and the few that are needed now usually get done by my Anbu members. I gave this one to _you_ because of the delicate subject it involved...and the hope that it would help with your memory."

Curious about it, but choosing to ignore the bit about Anko's memory, Naruto rose his hand as ana indicator her wished to speak. When his Hokage acknowledged him the blonde pleaded his new senseie's case as well. "Actually old man, I'm okay with being sent on the mission with Anko-sensei. In case you forgot, I do still intend to take that hat from you some day, and what kind of Hokage would I be if I was unable to relate and be open to discuss an assassination with one of my subordinates? You know of the dangers and psychological damage due to performing them yourself, so you're able to be a sort of council for those you send out...should an aspiring Kage not need the same ability?"

Hearing the younger shinobi's words, and the level of seriousness laced with every word, made the elderly Hokage proud. The Naruto in front of him was nothing like the one from his academy days. The young genin that stood before him was a true, budding ninja; one that he felt was worth being given this chance.

"Very well then," Hiruzen relented while steepling his fingers, "I'll allow you to take genin Uzumaki on this mission Anko. But only because I trust your ability to bring him back alive; if you return to the village without him, or his career is brought to an end by this in any other way, then be prepared to hand over your headband."

Anko nodded firmly, understanding that this was serious, and there was no room for jokes here.

Seeing that his subordinate understood the elderly Hokage began to relay the mission specs to both Anko and Naruto. "Alright then, now that we've got that settled let's get on with it. Jounin Anko Mitarashi and genin Naruto Uzumaki your mission is an A-ranked assassination mission; your target is a man that goes by the name Amachi. Amachi resides in the Land of Sea and is reported to be a scientist under the employ of Orochimaru. His heinous crimes against humanity, through way of his _'experiments'_ , have caused the abduction and disappearance of over thirty people. Your primary mission is the assassination of this individual, however, if possible you are to collect and return with as much of this man's notes as possible. Anything we can use against Orochimaru in the future is information too valuable to ignore."

Once he finished explaining their objectives Anko and her blonde psudo-student gave silent confirmation that they accepted the mission. From there the elderly shinobi handed them the file to go over before dismissing them.

 **Xxx**

Naruto walked from his apartment towards the main gate of the village. Anko had instructed him to do a double check to make sure he'd had everything necessary for their mission. She'd told him to think hard, because while something may seem trivial, like say a pack of explosive tags, you never know what you'll find on a mission and that ' I don't need it' thought could cause major casualties.

So, the blonde made sure to go over everything he had at home and made sure to pack tools he might need.

Once he finished Naruto found himself walking the back roads towards the gate where he'd be meeting Anko, his reason being that using this route gave him time to think without risking bumping into anyone he knew.

And thinking was something the blonde felt was needed at this time; to plan out his next steps. Because, while he had chosen to take up Zabuza's mantle and ultimately surpass the man, was that it? Was that all there was going to be to his ninja career? Naruto felt his eyes itch with the desire to turn and look back at the Hokage Monument, to be reminded of his original goal in life. Did he still want that?

If he was being honest with himself?

Yes.

In spite of his promise to the dead Demon of Kiri Naruto never actually let go of his first dream, all that changed was his reason for wanting the hat. His time with Haku helped open his eyes to the truth; he didn't need the acknowledgment from every person in the village, no, he just needed the love of those he held close. It was for _them_ that he would get stronger, and become the Hokage, so that he'd be better able to protect those he considered precious.

The only thing was...Naruto could probably count on both hands who that list included. And for a moment it made the young Uzumaki wonder if his strength would be enough to make his dream come true.

 _'No,'_ Naruto shook his head in denial, _'I'm just being hard on myself again. Haku only had Zabuza and he was able to get so strong protecting just him, but even still, I'm taking his words the wrong way. It's not about the number of people, it's the principal. I've got to remember that, I can't ever forget or think less of my precious people like that again. I'll get stronger for them and become the next Hokage so I'll be better able to protect them; it's my promise to them, and myself.'_

By the end of his declaration Naruto noticed he'd made it to the meeting spot. His blue eyes scanned the area in search of his temporary sensei and he felt annoyance build up inside at not finding the woman anywhere nearby.

"Oh come on," he complained, "don't tell me all Jounin are late. I was hoping it was just Kakashi-sensei but I guess I was wrong." He crossed his arms in frustration as he muttered, "If I would have known about this earlier I would have stopped and had some ramen at least."

"But then _you'd_ be late my little hatchling, and that would have been a terrible impression to make on your first mission with me."

The voice came from seemingly everywhere at once and Naruto snapped his head up to search for the source. It _was_ Anko's voice, of that the blonde had no doubt, but he couldn't pinpoint the older woman's position.

Anko obviously saw his fruitless search though because she laughed from her position before standing up from her place by the guard post to show that she had been there the whole time.

Naruto's eyes widened at this realization because it meant that, had she been an enemy, he would have been dead. "So this is another difference between a genin and a Jounin; those guys in the forest were pretty easy to sniff out, but you, I couldn't even hear you breath."

"I know, but that's a nice little trick you've got there hachling, there aren't very many ninja who think to do what you did trying to find me. Or rather, they can't focus their chakra that way." Anko explained, but when she saw the light that began to glint in her psudo students eye she decided to bring the genin back to reality. _'Gotta remember he's still a kid, despite his talent,'_ she thought before moving to speak again.

"But don't let that go to your head kid, because just as you saw, you haven't even mastered that skill yet and I could have easily slit your throat without you ever even knowing. There's still a long way for you to go before your Jounin level, _but_ , I'll make sure that by the end of the month you're going to be chunin level without a doubt."

While initially a bit let down by her assessment Naruto perked up at hearing the beautiful woman say that she wasn't going to give up on him, and better yet, she was going to make him a chunin! In spite of himself Naruto couldn't help imagining the way it'd feel wearing the flack jacket that signified he was no longer a genin.

His thoughts were cut short when Anko tapped him on the head and said, "And now that lesson one is over, it's time we get going my little hatchling. We wouldn't want our target moving and getting away now would we?"

Naruto shook his head and rubbed the spot the older woman had caused to itch before he began to follow her; surprisingly, they were running through the trees.

"We're tree-hopping? Usually when my squad has a mission we don't rush it."

Anko looked beside her to the blonde youth she'd taken under her wing and explained that, that's because his team had been doing escort missions and glorified errands. "This is an assassination, a real-life mission with a time frame. We need to get there as soon as possible, which means there's no time for sight seeing."

Naruto pondered his for a moment before decided she had a point before remembering another thing he was curious about. "Why are you calling me 'hatchling'?"

At this Anko gave the younger shinobi a playful pout as she asked, "What, can't I give my student a nickname? I'm sure Kakashi does it too...or do you just not like me?"

When Anko turned her head away and pretended to start crying Naruto could feel his head drop in disbelief; sometimes it was hard to remember Anko was a Jounin. "N-No, it's nothing like that Anko-sensei, I was just curious is all. You see Kakashi-sensei doesn't actually give us nicknames, so it's new to me. I-I really don't mind the name, honest."

"Really!?" Anko's face whipped back around with a ridiculous, obviously fake, hopeful expression.

"Y-Yeah...really."

 _'Maybe it's not too late to turn around and forget this whole thing,'_ Naruto thought as he listened to the woman beside him laugh at his annoyed face.

 **Xxx**

While Naruto was on his way to aid in his first assassination, many of his fellow genin were busy with their own kind of training.

At the Hyuga compound Hinata stood before her father, Hiashi, in the man's study. He was looking over a series of papers while his eldest daughter waited for him to address her.

After making the young girl wait for five minutes, and seeing she wasn't going to break down in nervousness, Hiashi asked what the girl wanted.

"F-Father I...I wish to ask for you to resume instructing me in our _Gentle Fist,'_ she answered with a bow. "I've managed to make it through the preliminaries of the chunin selection exams and wish to represent our family properly during the finals. A-As acting heiress I feel that anything less than perfection is unacceptable to present to the many foreign prospects coming to our village. I ask this, not as your daughter, but as the next head of our family...help me to not embarrass then Hyuga Clan."

Hiashi sat and stared at his daughter. Internally he felt surprise at the young girl's words, as he knew Hinata to be terribly shy, and usually his daughter couldn't speak more than two or three words to him. Where did this come from?

 _'And then there's her words; she's deliberately pointing out her flaws, but Hinata's bringing them up in such a way that she's letting me know she doesn't wish to project those weakness during the finals.'_

It was these points that helped the Hyuga clan leader make his decision.

"Very well Hinata, I will resume your training. However, I reserve the right to pull out of this arrangement if I feel you aren't making enough progress within a reasonable time."

Years of living in the compound helped the young heiress hide her joy at her fathers words, and instead just replied with a bow and quiet thank you. Although her pearl-like eyes widened when her father said they were going to start now.

But Hinata wasn't the only one in Konoha who was gearing up for the finals.

On the other end of the village, far from the clan compounds and hidden among the homes of average civilians, Ten-Ten could be found in her backyard staring down a man equal in height to Hiashi. And in the man's daughter's opinion, equal in prowess as well.

His name was Sanosuke Sagara; he was Ten-Ten's father, and a skilled swordsman.

Like Naruto the man used a large-style weapon, but instead of a broadsword, Sanosuke wielded a zanbato. However, the swords immense weight did nothing to impede his ability with the weapon; as demonstrated by the way he easily blocked his daughter's diagonal swing.

"You'll need to do better than that if you wanna have any hopes of beating that Uzumaki kid; at least from the things you've told me anyway." Sanosuke instr4ucted before pushing Ten-Ten back and using his zanbato as a springboard so he could switch into an areal kick. He was proud when the bun-haired girl managed to dodge it, but frowned when she immediately charged back in.

"Wrong!" Sanosuke alerted his daughter before planting both feet into her chest with a double-kick.

As his daughter lay gasping for breath, the former mercenary explained what she had done wrong. "You need to stop rushing things Ten-Ten, don't always be so prone to act first. It's okay to take time and move away from your opponent to strategize; if you don't, and all you do is attack, you become predictable. And from what I understand, predictability in your line of work gets you killed...right?"

The man's daughter hung her head in shame. He was right, she was acting foolish.

 _'But that's what this is all for,'_ the weapon mistress thought as she hauled herself to her feet for round two, _'so that I can fix the mistakes that caused me to lose out to Naruto in the first place.'_ Smiling as she thought of facing the blonde again in the finals Ten-Ten readied herself for her father's next attack.

And it wasn't just the kunoichi who were busy training either. Miles away from the village Sasuke Uchiha was desperately trying to dodge Kakashi's fierce taijutsu assault.

They had tried reactivating the inverted eyes that the young genin had used against Kiba, but were unsuccessful, so instead they worked to get Sasukse used to his two-tomoe eyes while working to increase the boy's speed.

"You're going to need to be even faster than Lee if you hope to stand any chance against Garra in the finals." Kakashi had told him. "Because when this month is over, and if you haven't at least managed to _match_ his speed, then you will die."

As he got hit by another kick to the chest Sasuke felt his anger, but also his resolve, strengthen. He would surpass Lee, he would defeat Gaara, and then he would use his new found strength to help reach his goal.

He would make Itachi pay, no matter what it took or where he was forced to go, Sasuke would avenge his mother's death.

 **Xxx**

It took them most of the first day, but Naruto and Anko managed to reach the closest port before nightfall. But where Naruto thought they would now wait and rest, his temporary sensei proved him wrong again.

"Nope," the snake mistress said with a shake of her head, "we're boarding tonight so that we'll be there by morning."

"But Kakashi-sensei didn't-"

"Kakashi wasn't taking you guys on real missions gaki; you had time to rest. But when you're with me, you better be ready to play hard ball because I guarantee there's gonna be nights were we won't even sleep."

Naruto saw the series look in Anko's pupil-less brown eyes and it made him realize that there was a reason such high-ranking missions were saved for Jounin level and above shinobi. They weren't just dangerous, but taxing on the body as well, something no ordinary genin would be able to handle.

 _'But Zabuza wasn't an ordinary genin, and if I'm going to honor him then I can't afford to be either.'_

Looking back at Anko the blonde could see that she was waiting to see what he'd do. With his head on straight again, Naruto nodded firmly as a signal he was ready.

This brought a smile to the woman's face as she lead him to where they would purchase their tickets for the boat. And even though the boy had hesitated a moment ago, Anko had no doubt in her mind he would continue the mission. She'd chosen right, now she just had to hope he'd be able to be there when it mattered. _'I guess I'll start by teaching him the_ _Striking Shadow-Snake_ _while we wait to dock again.'_ The woman thought as they made their way to their ride.

Because something told Anko this mission wasn't going to go anything like she planned.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 **A/N: And there's the next chapter. Short, and not very exciting, but that's because the next one will be the whole mission.**

 **Um, it's pretty late, or early depending on how you look at it, so this isn't going to be any longer than this. Just hope you enjoyed the update, and look forward to Narutos's first assassination next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.16- What it really means to be a ninja**_**

 **A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter twenty of Demon of the Hidden Leaf. I hope everyone's been enjoying the retelling so far and I hope to keep your interest in the chapters to come.**

 **Anyway, the reason I did this AN is because I had someone ask me if I could give a brief summary of the story so far, because my updates are relatively wide-spread, and it may be hard to keep track of what's happened because of that. So, here it goes:**

 **After completing the Wave mission Naruto has a talk with Kakashi that ultimately leads to the blonde taking up Zabuza's mantle of 'Demon of the Mist'. From there, he begins a much more focused and intensive style of training to help close the obvious gap between himself and the rest of his fellow genin. Shortly after this, it is announced that the chunin exams would be taking place in Konoha this year and Team 7 is tested to see if they were ready; they passed.**

 _ **During the chunin exams Naruto meets many interesting characters, and learns much about the Seven Swordsmen from Ten-Ten; who he enters into a sort of partnership with concerning a set of swords known as**_ _Kiba_ _ **. Another was an odd red-headed girl named Karin, who he would later save during the second part of the exam. But with the good came the bad too. During the exams Naruto executes his first kills; the first being a foolish Ame ninja, the other, a Suna genin by the name of Ranmaru.**_

 **And not too long after the bad got worse in the form of Orochimaru, a rogue ninja from the Leaf, whose goal was to place a curse seal on Sasuke Uchiha. And despite giving it everything he had, showing off an impressive ability to utilize multiple forms of chakra nature and shadow-clones, Naruto was unable to put down the snake Sannin.**

 **After Orochimaru escaped Naruto and his team, along with a drained Anko who had shown up shortly after her former sensei, made their way to the central tower to complete the second test. From there the remaining genin were put through a preliminary set of battles to help thin out their numbers for the final exam. Going first against Dosu, Naruto racked up his third kill, this one being particularly gruesome. This was followed by the other matches, one of which ended in the death of Kiba's companion Akamaru and Sasuke achieving a strangely inverted sharingan.**

 **When all was said and done, and the matches for the final portion of the exams was set, Naruto received an invitation for training from none other than Anko Mitarashi. Accepting, the blonde Uzumaki now finds himself on a boat to the Land of Sea to perform his first real assassination.**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Soft, light-brown eyes shot open as years of instinct took over. As a shinobi who often took dangerous missions on foreign soil, Anko Mitarashi had learned to be a light sleeper. And that's why, when she heard the floorboards creak outside her cabin door, the woman was out of bed and against the wall with a kunai in hand waiting to see if they would finally make their move.

 _'This is the third time since we left the port,'_ Anko thought as she steadied her breathing, _'whoever it is has stopped in front of my room each time, just to leave after standing there for ten minutes.'_

To Anko, she believed Naruto and her had been tagged early on in their mission, right before or as they bought their ferry tickets. She believed that their assassination target had expected their imminent arrival, and had planned to have his pursuers killed off before _they_ got to _him_.

 _'Well good luck trying to get rid of me,'_ the snake mistress growled internally, _'because there's no way I'm letting anybody get in my way on this mission!'_

Having had enough of the waiting game, Anko steeled her conviction and shouldered down her door. She could hear the person on the opposite side gasp in surprise, clearly caught off-guard, and she felt warm skin under her fingers as she slammed them against the hallway wall.

But just before Anko could deliver a killing blow, she heard a familiar voice yell out for her to stop.

"Wait, sensei, it's me!"

Brown met blue as sensei and student locked eyes, and for a moment everything stopped. Neither shinobi even realized they'd stopped breathing.

Finally though, Anko's brain registered that she wasn't in any danger, and she let Naruto drop to the floor. Relaxing her shoulders just slightly, in case the blonde before her was really an imposter, Anko eyed the boy on the floor and asked what he was doing.

"And has it been you I've felt standing outside my door?"

Naruto for his part just turned his eyes away, unable to look his temporary teacher in the eye as he shook his head yes.

"Why?" Was Anko's simple, and yet complicated question.

Complicated because the genin at her feet didn't really know how to answer her. Naruto didn't think he'd be having this conversation with anyone, let alone the woman in front of him, but the past few nights had just been so hard.

"I-I can't sleep."

It was only three little words; words parents heard all the time from their children. But for Anko it resonated deep down to her core and pushed forth a memory she'd kept locked away.

One where, a young girl a little younger than Naruto stood before her own sensei and whispered those very same words. A memory where that sensei, still kind and understanding, wrapped his charge in his arms and comforted a young Anko who was feeling scared after her first kill.

And, without meaning to, Anko found herself repeating those same words to her own student.

"It doesn't make you a monster Naruto. In fact, just by the way your kills are bothering you shows how human you are...it's only when you feel nothing for the lives of others that you become a monster."

Naruto still looked away as he replied, "But I took their lives so easily; I-I didn't even think about it. I just did what my instincts said, and I killed those guys."

The blonde on the floor head the boards creak so he turned his head, only to find that Anko had knelt down so they were eye-to-eye; a hold Naruto found he couldn't break. Not even when she placed her hand on his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

"And if you hadn't done those things, if you hadn't killed them, then they would have killed _you_. Difference is, they would have enjoyed it. Those guys were the monsters Naruto, you're just a ninja trying to stay alive."

But even as she said this, and Naruto felt some of his guilt wash away, he couldn't help thinking about his desire to honor Zabuza...and for the first time, he really questioned whether or not he could do it.

 **xXx**

And Naruto wasn't the only one suffering from an emotional storm. Back in Konoha, Kiba Inuzuka couldn't sleep either.

Tossing and turning in his bed, the shaggy-haired genin just couldn't get comfortable. It was either too hot, too cold, or something itched liked crazy until finally Kiba just gave up and got out of bed. Leaving his room, the Inuzuka walked the hall that led to the bathroom and flipped on the light.

What he saw in the mirror didn't surprise him. In fact, he didn't even care.

His hair, like all Inuzuka, grew fast and now was a wild mess down to his shoulders. His eyes were blood-shot and drooped from lack of sleep. Reaching a clawed hand up, the brunette scratched an itch in his tangled mane...only to stop, and stare at his hand.

Seeing those claws reminded him of why he couldn't sleep.

Akamaru. His best friend, his companion, his _familiar_ , was dead.

 _'No,'_ Kiba growled low in his throat, _'not dead. That bastard Uchiha killed him! He murdered my best friend in cold blood!'_

A lack of sleep, and pain from Akamaru's death clouded Kiba's mind, leaving him in a fog of rage. One only made stronger by memories of the meeting his mother had held with the Hokage about the incident.

By law, there was nothing that could be done. Killing was allowed during the chunin exams, and every participant signed a waver stating they understood death was a possibility; even Akamaru. The pups paw-print was stamped right beside Kiba's own handwriting.

The only thing the Hokage could really do was offer reparations in the form of payment.

Something Kiba vehemently refused, as no amount of money would replace what he lost, or return Akamaru to him.

No, Kiba knew there was only one thing that would satisfy him now. And as he stared at his reflection in the mirror and watched as his eyes turned to slits, he thought about how good revenge was going to feel.

Sasuke Uchiha was going to pay.

 **xXx**

The morning after their talk, Naruto and Anko found themselves seated in her room talking about how to continue the blonde's training; in this case, summoning.

"It's a rare and useful tool," Anko started, "something not many shinobi are capable of that could give you the advantage you need during a fight. I myself use snakes."

"Like Orochimaur?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes, but only because it was the contract _he_ chose to sign. Not saying that I don't love being able to summon snakes, but now they've gotten a bad reputation for being _his_ summon, so I try not to do it too often."

Something she said caught the blonde's attention. "Wait, contract?"

"Well yeah," Anko looked at her student funny, "how else did you think it was done?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow as he answered her. "I thought it had something to do with changing your chakra to look like an animal; I didn't think it was as easy as signing a piece of paper."

The blonde's response got an unexpected reaction from Anko. She laughed. She laughed for a few minutes before finally calming down, and when she did, the pony-tailed kunoichi saw the confused look her psudo-student was giving her. So, Anko decided to answer Naruto's unasked question.

"Sorry about that gaki, it's just, hearing you say summoning is easy was more than I could take. In fact, if anything, summoning is one of the hardest skills to master."

"But...why?"

Anko just sat back and smirked before rolling up her sleeve. With her arm revealed, not only did Naruto's eyes get a glimpse of her unexpectedly smooth skin, but he also noticed the tattoo that was painted on her forearm.

It was a snake wrapped around a scythe.

"This was given to me on the day I proved myself to the snake summons. They bit me here," at this Anko showed Naruto the tips of the snakes fangs. There were two puncture scars. "And the venom burned this into my skin from the inside."

Naruto cringed at the thought, but couldn't help be intrigued about one thing. "You said you had to prove yourself; what did you mean by that?"

"I had to show the snake boss, Manda, that I was worthy to be his summoner." Was Anko's reply.

But there was something about this darkness that flashed in Anko's eye as the kunoichi spoke that made Naruto ask, "And how did you do that? What did this Manda have you do?"

At this, Anko's shoulders slumped in a tired motion, as if she'd just gotten done carrying a heavy load for miles. This was more than enough for Naruto to realize, whatever it was, Anko wasn't proud of it.

And this made him pull back. "Or, if it's uncomfortable, you don't have to-"

"No," Anko cut him off, "It's okay. If we're gonna do this I...I have to open up a little too. When Orochimaru had me sign the snake contract, Manda's personal test was to have me bring him a hundred sacrifices...and then I had to watch as he ate them."

This news shocked Naruto and he looked on at Anko in sympathy. He couldn't imagine having to go through something so terrible; having to listen to all those screams and pleas for mercy. Just as he was about to reach over to take her hand though she spoke again.

"It was one of the worst sights I've ever seen; there was so much blood. But after it was over I was allowed to summon any snake on the contract other than Manda...although I never would even if I could."

After hearing what this Manda's test was Naruto shuttered to think of what kind of damage such a monster would do once unleashed.

This thought process resulted in another question springing from the blonde shinobi's lips. " So am I right in guessing you aren't going to have me sign the same contact as you?"

Anko answered him with a shake of her head. "Nah...at least not now that I'm remembering when _I_ signed it. I mean, before we boarded the boat I'd thought of having you sign it, but I wouldn't feel right putting you through that."

"Then why all this talk about summoning," Naruto questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

His answer was a smack to the head.

Anko eyed the smart-mouthed blonde before growling out, "Maybe because I thought it'd be a good lesson for you to learn gaki!"

"Ouch!" Naruto grunted in pain before sending Anko an irritated look. "Well if you aren't gonna teach me summoning what _am_ I going to learn?"

At this the blonde's temporary sensei leaned back against the wall and casually crossed her arms. But dressed as she was, in shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, it was easy for Naruto to notice the way the woman's arms pushed out her chest, something the blonde youth's budding hormones were excited for.

And _that_ was something Anko noticed.

Smirking like her namesake, Anko leaned forward and eyed her psudo-student. "Well, maybe I can start by teaching you the 'look-and-turn'. This is the second time I've caught you staring and I'm starting to wonder if there's something here you like."

Her teasing snapped Naruto out of his trance, and as he turned his eyes up from her tempting cleavage, the Uzumaki boy could feel his cheeks heating up from the embarrassment.

Shaking his head to rid himself of any impure thoughts, Naruto fumbled passed his tongue to offer a reply. "N-No, that's okay, I don't need it. A-And I'm sorry, i-it's just that...um, well..."

But Anko waved him off and relaxed her posture; this had the effect of letting up on the pressure to her chest. Smirking at Naruto good-naturdely she said, "I was only kidding my little hatchling. Actually, with the whole summoning thing going out the window for now I suppose I can teach you something a little simpler; how does a new stealth technique sound?"

This got Naruto's attention.

"What kind of technique?"

"It's called the _Chameleon's Shadow_ , and it allows the user to become invisible for about five minutes at a time." As she finished her explanation of what the move was Anko could tell her temporary student was indeed interested.

On his end, Naruto was already coming up with an interesting combo he could make with a technique like that, and couldn't wait to learn it so he could try it out.

 _'One thing's for sure, it would make infiltration a whole lot easier,'_ he thought with an air of excitement about him. Eager to get started, the young blonde leaned forward a bit and asked when she was going to start teaching him.

"After breakfast," the female shinobi answered, "you can't learn on an empty stomach; and I won't be able to focus until I get a bite in me."

While at first Naruto was going to protest, as he wanted to get started as soon as possible, any argument was silenced by the loud rumbling of his stomach. Laughing sheepishly, the young Uzumaki let his words die on his tongue and motioned for Anko to lead the way.

Breakfast was a small affair, considering their budget, and once it was finished the two shinobi were ready for some training. They headed back to Anko's room; where she'd told Naruto this particular training would take place.

"We can do more once the mission has been completed, and we're on our way back to Konoha. With the importance of this assignment though I'd rather we tried to stay a bit more focused; okay?"

Naruto nodded in understanding as she answered his unasked question. Once back in the privacy of the Jounin's room Anko motioned for her blonde companion to take a seat on the bed, while she herself moved to stand towards the center of the floor.

Placing her hands in a 'ram' sign before gathering her chakra for the technique. Being as in-tuned as she was with her control, and her extensive use of the technique, it was only a moment before her body began to fade out of sight. Naruto watched in rapt attention, blue eyes wide with excitement, as his pseudo-sensei vanished right in front of him.

That excitement soon turned to anger though when he felt a sharp whack against the back of his head a moment later.

"Hey!" Naruto sputtered. "What the hell was that for!?"

Breaking out into laughter, Anko let her technique drop before letting herself calm down. Turning her mirth-filled eyes on her blonde companion though, she answered the angry youth with a bit of wisdom.

"To get your head out of the clouds gaki; you were so focused on the technique, that you forgot about me. You can't afford to do that out in the field."

Naruto eyed the woman curiously. "Can't do what in the field; what did I do?"

"You got distracted by a technique you've never seen before, you can't do that, no matter what you may see out there I need you to keep your head in the game." Was Anko's reply.

The blonde genin looked at the Jounin with understanding in his eyes, grasping the seriousness of what she'd told him, and filing it away so as to keep from making the same mistake again. His perception did not go unnoticed, and when she saw it, Anko showed the younger shinobi the proper signs used to activate the technique he'd just been shown.

Eager to learn, Naruto payed close attention, his mind soaking up the lesson like a sponge.

 **xXx**

The _Chameleon's Shadow_ was the only technique the Uzumaki had time to learn in the four day boat ride, as the first three were spent going over information they had and making plans for how to accomplish their objective; the termination of a man named Amachi.

Anko explained that, since the man worked for Orochimaru, there was a good chance they'd run into some very strange, as well as dangerous, characters if they weren't careful.

"That's why I wanted us to spend so much time going over our action plan and escape routes," the older woman spoke quietly as they walked off the boat. "Like I said on board; we'll have more time for skill training once this is over."

Naruto just nodded his head in understanding, but before he could bring up another topic of discussion his attention was drawn away by laughter. However, it wasn't a happy kind of laughter, no this was one of cruelty. Something the blonde knew all too well about. Turning his blue eyes in the sounds direction, Naruto felt his anger spark at what he saw.

Kids, four of them, were chasing a girl covered in bandages. Their laughter was mingled with harsh words as they pelted the obviously distressed girl with small rocks.

Sharp eyes caught sight of the stone that was hidden by the beach sand, and within moments Naruto watched as the girl's foot hit it, causing her to trip. Now, with her face full of dirt, the girl was quickly surrounded by her assailants and forced to suffer further harm as they started to kick her.

It was when he heard the girls cry for help that Naruto snapped.

Before Anko could think to stop him, the younger shinobi vanished from her side, only to reappear behind the ring of boys.

Not even bothering to say a word of warning, Naruto reached out and gripped the closest shoulder, before jerking his arm back and sending that kid stumbling into the dirt in surprise.

This got the attention of the other three; and they didn't like what they saw.

"What the heck did you do that for!?" One of them yelled out. He grit his teeth in anger at the treatment of his friend, showing off his missing front teeth.

"Yeah," shouted another wearing a cap, "don't you know who that thing is?"

Hearing how that kid addressed the girl on the ground made Naruto see red. How many times had the same thing been said about _him_? He wasn't about to stand by, and let some sot nosed punks treat someone else that way, especially not a girl.

"I don't care who _she_ is," the blonde growled through clenched teeth, making sure to point out that he did not share their choice of categorizing her as an it. "All I care about is the fact that I see four guys picking on one girl...now I suggest you apologize before I loose my temper."

The smug looks on the boys faces confirmed the sounds Naruto heard from behind him. So when the one he'd shoved yelled out, the blonde was more than ready to teach him a lesson for trying to surprise a ninja.

Side-stepping the first attack, which turned out to be an attempt to smash a rock over his head, Naruto threw his elbow back and slammed it into the kid's nose. The force of the blow knocked the attacker unconscious, and with his downfall, the other three quickly understood that the blonde was someone to fear. They swiftly picked up their fallen leader and made a mad dash for the town nearby.

After watching the group scramble away, and making sure they weren't just coming back with more bullies, Naruto turned his attention to the bandaged girl who was still laying with her face in the sand.

"They're gone now, you can get up now." The Uzumaki said softly as he took a knee beside her.

When it looked like she hadn't heard him Naruto reached out a hand and placed it on the downed girls shoulder. The blonde genin shook her lightly, but when the bandaged victim didn't show any response Naruto started to worry.

"H-Hey, come on, get up now." Naruto hurriedly shook the same shoulder, a tone of worry lacing his voice now, a voice that hitched in his throat when he finally rolled the girl over and found there was blood oozing from her head.

Turning sharply, the blue-eyed blonde yelled to Anko that he needed her.

"This girl's bleeding, we have to do something!"

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 **A/N: Um, other than again saying happy anniversary to my story and thanking you all for your support, I don't think I have anything else to say. So, a late happy holidays to you all and I hope everyone has a great new year.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Alright, you all know I don't usually put these here, but I wanted to point out one thing before you all got started with this chapter. Isaribi is going to be younger in this version; essentially, she's going to be Naruto's 'Haku'. I understand that this is unusual, but it's something I wanted to attempt. Also, I never see much of Isaribi in Naruto stories, and pairing that with her rather basic character outline I figured I could make her an interesting addition to Naruto's journey.**

 **I've also been made aware of the typos that pop up from time to time across my story; I'll do my best to make sure the rest of my stories are better looked over, so as to allow you guys a smoother reading experience. The same goes for inconsistencies.**

 **(WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND RAPE IN THIS CHAPTER!)**

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 ** _ **Ch.17- Blood in the night**_**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

Black, pupil-less eyes snapped open while their owner gasped for breath, reeling from the nightmare she'd just had. Isaribi let her body jolt from the futon she slept against so as to put herself in a more upright position. However, before the frightened girl could pull herself up completely she was wracked with pain, as her forehead smacked against something hard.

Dropping like a sack of potatoes back to the bedding, Isaribi howled in pain; only to choke on her voice when her ears were assaulted with someone else screamed...and a woman's laughter.

Fighting the throbbing knot on the front of her skull Isaribi managed to flutter one of her eyes open and get a look around. What she saw shocked her: it was the blonde from her dream! _'Which means, i-it wasn't really a dream,'_ the violet-haired girl thought in surprise. _'Someone really did chase those bullies away.'_ Then, noticing that the uproarious laughter from before had quieted to a snicker fit Isaribi's squinting eyes canvased the room, until finally, they landed on an older woman leaning against the wall of the hut she was laying in.

It was the realization that she, an eight-year-old child, was alone with two older strangers that caused Isaribi to scream again in fright before attempting to scramble to her feet. And while normally this may work the onyx-eyed young girl's previous collision had aggravated her wounded head, which had been pelted by one of the stones thrown by a bully, and this caused Isaribi to become dizzy. She would have fallen, but a pair of strong arms had shot out and caught her.

Her head swimming now, Isaribi's fluttering lashes allowed her a hazy glimpse of her savior. The blonde teen from before. Only this time, from her closer position, the young girl managed to get a look at his striking blue eyes. Her brain still rattled from all the trauma, coupled with her lack of nourishment the past few day, Isaribi could feel herself slipping back into unconsciousness. However, before the encroaching darkness took her once more, one thought managed to push its way to the forefront of her mind:

 _'His eyes are just like mine.'_

When she next opened her eyes Isaribi managed to keep herself from freaking out; although it helped that her nose was first assaulted by the strong aroma of delicious food. The violet-haired girl slowly propped herself up with her elbows, using the time to get used to the now shadow-filled hut; it seems night had fallen while she was out. Isaribi gasped.

 _'I-It's already night time!? Oh no, Dr. Amachi isn't gonna be happy once he finds out I didn't practice with my_ _Kaima_ _form,'_ the young girl hung her head as her eyes squeezed shut. _'It's gonna be another week without food; I just know it!'_

Just as the child was beginning to spiral into a resigned form of acceptance though, a voice called out to her from across the hut; where Isaribi could see there was a fire going, and a pot of food was being cooked. It explained the smell, but the young girl's attention was drawn more towards the direction of that voice. It sounded like a boy. Seeing a head of unruly, blonde hair in her peripheral vision drew Isaribi's attention and she was proved correct. There, sitting in the corner, was an older boy who looked to be a few years her senior; and while the large sword he was cleaning scared the wits out of her, Isaribi couldn't help the gasp that escaped her when she looked into his eyes.

"It was you," she whispered.

The blonde looked at her funny, an eyebrow raised in confusion, which made the younger girl blush in embarrassment. Her eyes immediately darted down, breaking the eye contact, only to widen in fear when she realized the bandages on her arm were gone and the scales they hid were in plain sight. First, Isaribi's breath caught in her throat, and then she started to hyperventilate. The older boy in the corner must have seen her scales!

However, he must have been able to see the despair on her face, because just as Isaribi was scrambling to get up and bolt for the exit the blonde suddenly appeared before her in a shocking display of speed.

Taking hold of her upper-arm the masked teen started to speak, his tone rushed by quiet, as if he were trying to calm a wild animal as he tried to calm her down. _'Animal,'_ Isaribi thought morosely. _'Just like me'._

"Now wait a minute," the blonde diverged from his original speech. "Stop moping and listen to me, yes I saw your scales but I'm not afraid. Look, my name is Naruto, why don't you tell me your name and we can go from there; we can even have some of the noodles boiling in the pot over there, you look like you could use something to eat."

Eat! Hearing the offer of food made Isaribi think about Dr. Amachi and her promise to help him with his work, as well as her inevitable punishment for not returning before her guardian's set curfew. Recalling the punishments from the past, and imagining what awaited her, the violet-haired girl couldn't help but begin to once again sink into despair.

Or at least, she would have, had a pair of worried blue eyes not bent down to stare into her own onyx-black pair. Startled, Isaribi squeaked and jerked away. The boy, Naruto as he'd introduced himself, gazed at her with worry and confusion mixed in his sapphire eyes. "Hey, what's wrong now? If you really don't like noodles that much we can go get something else; anything you want, I just really wanna make sure you eat something."

Naruto watched as the girl shuffled her legs underneath her while simultaneously turning her head and trying to pull her arm back: she wanted to hide her scales. Seeing this proved the young genin's earlier theory that the scales he and Anko had found weren't from a bloodline trait, and instead, were more than likely connected with their target Amachi. Making sure to keep his tone light, so as not to scare her, the young Uzumaki began to speak again.

"Wait a second, what's wrong? If you're worried about your scales you shouldn't be; I've saw them a while ago when my sensei and I were taking care of that nasty cut on your forehead." Carefully, with a gentleness many would think the blonde incapable of, Naruto cupped the younger girl's chin and turned her so their eyes met. "I've been watching over you all day, do you think if I'd been afraid, or disgusted, I'd be able to even talk to you let alone get this close?"

Isaribi's shoulders shuddered and her bottom lip trembled as she felt tears start to well in the corners of her eyes. The eight-year-old diverted her eyes, choosing instead to stare at the far wall, she whispered 'yes'.

Blue eyes widened in horror before narrowing in outrage over the history the girl's response reflected. Someone had offered this child kindness as a rouse, and after taking advantage of her trust obviously did something terrible. For Naruto this was the last straw. The young Uzumaki had realized almost immediately after removing her bandages that this girl was involved with his target, and had honestly felt a bit of anger towards her for siding with the man, but now, seeing the despair in her eyes, Naruto realized that nothing was as he'd thought. There was much more to this girl than meets the eyes...just like him.

In an effort to calm the now sobbing girl Naruto reached out his other hand, the one not gripping her upper-arm, and let his fingers run through her violet locks. When she flinched, his face twitched in an effort to scowl, but the blonde forced the muscles to form instead into what he hoped was a kind grin. Then, in a voice he didn't know he was capable of, Naruto whispered out for the girl to look at him.

Isaribi hesitated when the blonde, Naruto, whispered to her but she had steadily felt her tense body beginning to relax under his lulling fingers as they swam through her hair. Eventually, she was unable to help herself, and the resident orphan of Sea Country let her onyx eyes swivel to meet the ocean-blue pair that waited for them. "W-Who are you?"

While he may have come s long way from the bumbling buffoon of days past, Naruto still had to catch himself from re-stating his name. That wasn't what she'd meant, he realized. The girl was asking why he was willing to be so kind to her, to help her, when everyone else in the village despised and degraded her. "I'm a ninja, a shinobi, from the village of Konoha, and while I've come to your village on a mission with my sensei that doesn't mean I'll ignore someone in need. And while it may sound strange to you, I want you to know that, while I'm here, all do everything I can to make sure what happened this morning never happens again; now, who are you?"

Hearing that Naruto was a shinobi made Isaribi's eyes widen in surprise as well as amazement. She'd never met a real ninja before; sure, Amachi had those two goons that liked to _think_ they were ninja, but Isaribi could tell this guy was the real deal. _'I mean, who other than a ninja could carry around a sword like his!?'_

Seeing the girl's eyes stray to _Kubikiribocho_ Naruto came up with an idea. Grinning wide enough that it could be seen from beneath his bandages, the blonde offered a trade: her name, for the story of how he'd gotten his sword. "And trust me, it's a good one."

Isaribi took the bait almost instantly; she loved stories. Although she'd been young when they died, the now eight-year-old girl could still easily recall the many bedtime stories her mother and father would either read to her or make up together. It was these very stories that filled her dreams at night, of places far away from her boring, and now cruel, little fishing village. It was these stories that made her believe Mr. Amachi would really fix her, and, it was the thought of these stories that lead her to answer Naruto's question.

"M-My name is Isaribi; Isaribi Raito."

 **xXx**

Anko felt ready to snap. After Naruto had insisted on watching over that strange girl the Special-Jounin noticed almost immediately that something was going on; especially when they removed her bandages and found her body littered with scales. There had been multiple patches, scattered from her face all the way to the tops of both feet.

And while part of her wanted to pass it off as some weird kekkei-genkai _,_ the experienced kunoichi knew that was wishful thinking, as there had never been such a trait been recorded before. No, this girl definitely had something to do with Amachi, which Anko became more certain of when she'd attempted asking around about her. Whenever the scaly child was brought up, no matter who she spoke with, they shut down or suddenly remembered an errand they had to attend to. It got to the point where no one in the village would speak to her; it was infuriating!

 _'Although none of these morons were much help on the mission-front either'_ the grumbling woman thought as she marched back to the small hut she'd acquired for shelter. And it was true, these people knew next to nothing about the man she sought, her time in the T&I department coming in handy to make sure no information was being withheld.

No, the only thing anyone had to tell her was about the disappearances a couple of years ago that ranged from small children to a few grown men and women. The people would go out like normal to fish but never came back, and when villagers went to search for them, there was never any trace; like they just vanished. _'But that doesn't tell me anything other than what I already knew!'_ Anko growled mentally before kicking up a bit of sand in a huff.

Anko's pupil-less brown eyes could see her rented shelter a short distance away. This help quell the burning anger inside as thoughts of food and a nights rest made there way into her mind; the sun had already set, and she was more than ready to let her tired legs rest. A shinobi she may be, but being on her feet all day still wasn't something the woman enjoyed doing. "Especially when it all turns out to be for nothing." She grouched again.

However, before the battle-hardened kunoichi could take another step her instincts kicked in, and she leaped to the side so as to avoid being skewered from below.

The Special-Jounin narrowed her eyes as she watched a body rocket up from beneath the sand, spear-in-hand, before it landed and settled into a fighting stance in front of her. Anko flicked her wrists, and felt the cool steel of her kunai as they fell into her hands.

Only to drop them in shock when two arms came from behind and locked her in an arm-bar.

"Good work Shui," the spear wielder congratulated as he walked up to the captured Anko. With the moon shone bright in the sky, even without being full, Anko was able to make out the look of one of her captors. He was tall, at least Kakashi's height, with the build of a man who had spent many hours doing hard labor. He had a head of feathery brunette hair and a face that could almost be called handsome, if not for the cruel and disgusting smile that twisted the visage. His upper-body was bare, but his lower half was hidden beneath common black pants and shinobi sandals; with no headband, it was easy to conclude this guy, and more than likely his partner too, were just wash outs from their original ninja village who later became mercenaries.

 _'Which makes me wonder how they got the drop on me,'_ Anko growled mentally to herself.

As if answering her unspoken question, the one holding her captive opened his mouth to reply to his partner. "It wasn't nothin',' he spoke in a rough and uneducated manner. "That trick gets 'em every time Tai."

"Maybe on those weak housewives we snatch from the village, but this one here's a kunoichi, a female ninja, so I'd say we got lucky," the one known as Tai told Shui in a cocky but cautious tone. But that melted away when the man was within inches of his prey; by then his look had morphed into a leering grin. "But maybe this is just our reward for doing such a good job working for the good doctor—rah!"

The mercenary snatched his had back, inspecting the new, bloody bite mark before clocking Anko with his uninjured fist. "You bitch!"

Despite the throbbing in her left cheek Anko gave a smug grin to the man in front of her; he had attempted to caress her face, but the woman wasn't having it. "Careful boys, I bite."

This was followed by the Special-Jounin throwing her head back and smashing Shui's nose. The man behind her howled in pain, his hands immediately letting go of Anko to clutch at his bloody nose. Then, with her body free, Anko snapped her left leg back and planted her foot in the man's stomach. She followed this up by ducking low to avoid a kunai to the throat from the mercenary known as Tai. Years of training kicked in next as Anko gripped his outstretched forearm, and slammed her right palm into her enemy's elbow; sounds of bone breaking were intermingled with cries of pain.

Thinking quick, Anko struck like a serpent and swiftly tore open Tai's throat with the kunai she'd kicked up from the sand. Not even blinking as the man's blood squirted from the new opening, Anko turned her attention to her second would-be rapist. The man known as Shui was just now managing to blink through the pain of having his nose broken, and through teary eyes saw his partner crumple to his knees.

"You fucking slut; you killed him!" Seeing nothing but red, Shui barely managed to take his first step in Anko's direction before she vanished from sight, appeared behind him, and knocked the fool unconscious.

 _'This one should be easy to break,'_ the T&I expert thought peering down at Shui. With her years in the field Anko learned quickly that, normally, every pair had a brain and a brawn type, with the brain taking longer to interrogate. However, if one were to separate the two, the dumb one would break quickly without the support of his companion.

So, taking a length of ninja wire from her coat pocket, Anko went to work stringing up her prisoner before hoisting him over her shoulder. It was as she was finishing the trek to her rented shelter that the woman wondered if these two were connected to the girl Naruto had insisted on watching over.

 _'One thing's for sure though, they definitely have a connection to Amachi if what they said earlier is true.'_

 **xXx**

Upon returning to their shared dwelling Anko was surprised to find Naruto regaling the amused looking girl with a story about one of the many pranks he'd pulled during his time a the academy.

Or at least, he had been, but once he noticed her entrance the blonde stopped. Then, seeing the man she had slung over her shoulder, Naruto rocketed to his feet in attention. His abrupt silence, followed by the sudden movement, caused the plum-haired girl to turn her own attention towards the door...only to gasp in fright when her own eyes landed on the bound mercenary.

Seeing her reaction was all the answer Anko needed. "I take it then that you know who he is?"

Hearing this Naruto turned his eyes from his sensei, over to Isaribi, before asking if it was true. "Is this the guy who gave you those scales Isaribi?"

Flinching at the mention of her condition Isaribi couldn't keep herself from folding in on herself, arms hugging around her small frame, as her onyx eyes turned to look at the floor. Worrying her bottom lip for a moment, the eight-year-old chanced a look at the blonde beside her. Seeing the same outreaching look from before, the one that urged her to trust him, she couldn't help but believe that just maybe he could help her.

"N-No, that's not Dr. Amachi, his name is Shui; one of the doctor's guards." For a second she battled with herself about continuing, but the hope of freeing herself from the feeling of loneliness Isaribi had felt under Amachi convinced the girl to keep going. "I-If he's here then Dr. Amachi must have gotten impatient with my lateness...which means he's _furious_."

Naruto saw the way Isaribi's eyes squeezed shut as she hissed out that last word; it worried him. What he didn't see though, was that it worried Anko as well, especially when her trained eye didn't see any form of past abuse on the young girl.

Pupil-less brown eyes narrowed into slits as their owner forced down the animalistic growl that threatened to rumble in Anko's throat. Leveling her tone, so as not to scare Isaribi, and hopping she was wrong the kunoichi asked, "And what happens when Dr. Amachi gets furious?"

The answer was plain for someone like Anko to see. The way Isaribi's whole body trembled as her knees turned in on each other, closing her thighs, as bone-white knuckles pushed down the hem of her t-shirt. Even Naruto, with no real experience in the subtleties of body language, knew not to probe the question any further.

It was clear what sort of punishment the man known as Dr. Amachi dealt out.

Seeing how shaken Isaribi looked now Naruto moved into her space and, reaching out, drew the younger girl into a hug. With his shaggy blonde hair covering his eyes one couldn't see their expression, but all someone had to do was look at the teen's own shaking form to know Naruto Uzumaki was close to flying into a rampage.

For Isaribi, the moment she was enveloped in the warmth and safety of the hug, the child broke down in tears. Sobs wracked through her body, sending her shoulders into a frenzy as memories of those horrid nights played back in her mind. Burying herself as deep as possible in Naruto's arms Isaribi wailed in despair, "P-Please, don't make me go back! Onii-san, please, I-I'll be good, just—just please don't m-make me go back!"

Hearing the younger girl's plea only made Naruto hold her closer. For one so young to feel such fear, to know this kind of pain, should be impossible. Memories of the blonde's own childhood played through his mind like a slideshow; and yet, Naruto knew nothing he'd felt was anything like Isaribi's pain. He may have been alone, but the girl in his arms had been _trapped_. Caged like a rat, knowing only twisted, perverted versions of affection. It was enough that Naruto felt the same wall shatter from when he'd thought Haku killed Sasuke; the Kyubi's chakra slowly leaked through his body as Naruto vowed to slit Amachi's throat himself.

"Don't worry Isa-chan; you aren't ever going back there again. Tonight, Anko-sensei and I are going to make sure that bastard Amachi won't ever be able to hurt you again."

The protective, assuring tone Isaribi heard was enough to help stop the trembling of her body and allowed the eight-year-old girl to gather enough of herself so as to look up into her saviors eyes. What she saw, normally something that would be found in nightmares, only further cemented Isaribi's belief her 'Onii-san' had been sent specifically to save her.

Naruto's eyes were cast in the shaggy shadow of his blonde hair, making their now crimson color glow eerily, while his slit pupils stared down at the girl in his arms with a glint of something primal in their vulpine depths. With the lower-half of his face bandaged none could see his new set of fangs, or thickened whiskers, but by the way his jaw was fixed they could tell the young Uzumaki was gritting his teeth in an attempt to keep his emotions in check.

Knowing her young charge needed to be reigned in, lest he lose himself, Anko stepped further into the hut and told Naruto that they still needed to interrogate their captive. "Because in spite of your new strength, and even having me at your side, we don't know what to expect from this Dr. Amachi. I'd rather not have us run in their half-cocked only to fall into some trap that can easily be avoided with a few minutes of thinking ahead; if we aren't smart about this, you won't be able to keep your promise to young Isaribi here."

At the thought of the young girl in his arms falling back into the hands of her tormentor was enough to get Naruto under control. He'd never broken a promise before, and now definitely wasn't the time to start.

Peering down his nose at Isaribi one more time Naruto combed his clawed fingers through her violet tresses a few times before stepping back from her and, hand still atop Isa-chan's head, asked his sensei what she needed from him.

"Since I don't really think you're ready to perform your first torture session I just need you to take your new friend outside—I know it's a bit odd, considering what just happened to me, but unless Isaribi thinks she can stomach watching me work it's the only other option," Anko explained, having further explained her thoughts when Naruto looked at her like the Special-Jounin was crazy.

Blowing an unsure breath through his nose Naruto took Isaribi's hand with the intent to follow orders, only to look at the aforementioned girl when she refused to start walking. "Isa-chan, what's wrong?"

Isaribi's onyx-black eyes looked from the man she knew was Shui, who the woman known as Anko had dropped into the far corner, then looked to the blonde holding her hand. Her gaze was hesitant for a moment before, after taking one last look to Shui, the child whispered that she wanted to stay; she wanted to watch.

On his end Naruto was shocked. She _wanted_ to watch someone be tortured? Eyeing her wearily the blonde asked if she was sure, saying he wouldn't think any less of her either way, and sighing softly in agreement when Isaribi reaffirmed her decision to stay. Something that, while he didn't understand, would honor if Anko said it was okay.

And she did.

Because while Naruto didn't understand Isaribi's thoughts, the older shinobi _did_. She'd seen cases like this a few times before; she herself being one of them. It tended to happen to those who had suffered at the hands of of someone else; made worse when it's a person they believed could be trusted. Thoughts would begin to form during the torment, usually after accepting the reality of their situation, about the positions being reversed and the tormentor becoming the victim.

 _'This filth must have taken part in that bastard Amachi's punishments,'_ Anko summarized before letting Naruto know he and Isaribi were allowed to stay, as well as leave, should watching become to hard. Neither the blonde, nor the young girl who wound up in his lap left the hut that night, and both watched, unblinking as Anko went to work.

But the screams of pain, which helped lull Isaribi to sleep mixed with Naruto's heartbeat, would ring in the Uzumaki's ears and bring back memories of the final battle at the Great Naruto Bridge.

Only this time, it wasn't Zabuza doing the killing, but Naruto himself.

Anko's hypothesis proved true, and in just about an hour and a half of starting in on her prey, the ninja had everything they needed to plan their final move. Then Naruto watched as Anko killed their captive.

"There's no redeeming scum like him, so there was no reason to let him live," she'd explained upon seeing his questioning look. "Something you need to understand Naruto is that there really is such a thing as evil in this life; and that it won't always be easy to spot like Orochimaru. Because, honestly, can you tell me you'd have pegged this man for a rapist had you both just been walking down the street?"

Naruto could honestly shake his head no.

"Exactly," was Anko's firm reply. "Remember that lesson Naruto, because it's important, don't ever just blindly trust anyone, because you never know who's really a wolf waiting to take a bite out of you."

Leaving her temporary student with that last bit of advice the former apprentice to Orochimaru bid goodnight to her blonde charge before sealing the dead Shui inside a scroll and laying down in her sleeping bag. Naruto was only up a few minutes longer, letting his eyes linger on the spot their dead captive had been bound in, before letting his eyes drift shut.

That night his dreams were filled with thoughts of if he would have been able to torture Shui.

When next he awoke, Naruto was surprised only a moment at the weight against his chest before recalling the previous days events. Upon the recollection however his blue eyes steeled into a cold cobalt as his memory pulled forth the plan he and Anko had come up with. Today was the day.

Seeing the absence of a sleeping bag and deducing that Anko must be standing outside on the shore Naruto carefully shifted Isaribi in his arms, cradling her against his chest, before making his exit from the fishing cabin. Sure enough, upon his exit, the blonde Uzumaki's eyes quickly found his pseudo-sensei staring out at a speck of an island among the vast ocean. Being sure not to wake the still-sleeping girl in his arms Naruto made his way over and asked, "That's our target isn't it; that island over there."

Anko's response was a silent nod of her head. Naruto could see out of the corner of his eye that there was something on the older kunoichi's mind; the far away look in her normally light eyes let the blonde know the woman was reliving a memory.

That's when the blonde remembered the mission briefing the Hokage had given them in his office: Dr. Amachi worked for Orochimaru.

Turning so he could properly see his partner Naruto asked if the woman was okay. "You can be the one to take his life if it helps Anko-sensei."

Hearing her student's offer broke the woman from her fuzzy recollection of the island that lay before her, she'd just begun to recall being woken up on a cold medical table by an Anbu, and caused the violet-haired kunoichi to blink rapidly so as to bring herself back to the present. Shaking her head in the negative, Anko told Naruto that wasn't necessary. "If you see a chance to take the bastard out I want you to take it; we can't afford to let this creep to keep up his twisted science projects."

A whimper drew both ninja's attention to the now awake child Naruto was arms full of. It seems the crashing of the waves had woken the little girl and she'd caught the last of their talk. Thinking of herself as one of those 'twisted science projects', Isaribi felt her heart clench. Only her Onii-san's comforting embrace, matched by his hushed words helped calm the distraught girl's worries.

That is, at least, until Isaribi heard Anko's next words.

"Sorry to tell you both this, but Isaribi's gonna need to play a part in our getting inside."

 **xXx**

Onyx-black eyes looked up fearfully at the equally black camera lens that allowed Dr. Amachi to see who was at the entrance to his lab. Isaribi knew this wasn't the only one either, the man had cameras all over the island as well as inside. The girl shuddered thinking of some of the places she'd found _those_ cameras.

The tremors of disgust must have been mistaken for ones of fear, because once she finished Isaribi heard the telltale buzzing that preceded the unlocking of the large iron doors before her. After this the eight-year-old was blasted with a gust of cold air as the entrance slid open, both doors sinking into the rocks around them. Seeing her path clear, Isaribi entered, and began the long trek down the main corridor. Straw sandals slapped against the tiled floor and their owner thanked the heavens that she wasn't forced to make the journey in bare feet; that would have been torture, thinking about how ice-like the floor must feel.

It took about fifteen minutes, the girl having shuffled along slowly, for Isaribi to reach the break off point. Three doors now stood before her. One she knew was the main security room where all the camera feeds were sent, while the other two were a mystery. The lab was accessed through the floor she now stood on.

Except, Isaribi wasn't taken to the lab.

" _Where are Shui and Tai,"_ came Amachi's voice through the intercom system, _"I sent them to collect you hours ago and yet you have arrived alone. Explain."_

While hearing the man's voice, and the veiled rage underneath, made Isaribi nauseous. To her it felt like her stomach had just hit the floor, while her heart had jumped into her throat, but thinking about what consequences awaited _not_ answering the question she managed to croak out a response. "I-I don't need a babysitter Dr., as you can see, I've returned all on my own. I just w-wanted some time to feel...normal."

A single, heavy breath was let out over the intercom before the gears in the floor sprang to life and Isaribi was slowly lowered into the floor.

" _Do normal girls steal Isaribi,"_ came the now mocking voice over the intercom. Dr. Amachi had been referring to the girl's new state of dress. Gone was the stitch-laden, brown robe the girl wore like a dress held together by a lighter tan sash. In its place the young child now wore a sky-blue kimono and a white obi to hold it closed. While simple in its design, a girl like Isaribi would have been unable to pay for it.

Knowing this, and shoving away Amachi's attempts to break her spirit, Isaribi lowered her gaze and shook her head. "N-No, but I took it in hopes that i-it would...please you."

Just getting the words past her lips made the girl want to puke.

But they worked. The next thing to pass through the speakers was an appraising, but approving, hum. From there the rest of Isaribi's ride was filled with silence; which the girl was thankful for. Her stomach was in knots and she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on talking without trowing up. Now though, the violet-haired child could focus on breathing.

When the drop finally reached the laboratory Isaribi was greeted with the eerie smile of Dr. Amachi. He was a thin man with a head of straw-blonde hair. He wore a lab coat over a set of average clothes and was fitted into a pair of shinobi sandals. His beady black eyes were trained solely on Isaribi.

"Well now, seeing it in person I must say your new look _is_ quite lovely Isaribi, why don't come closer so I can get get a...better look at you."

The man's gaze frightened the young swimmer; it was a mix of animalistic hunger and anger. A combination she unfortunately knew well. She also knew what would happen if she denied him. So, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, Isaribi shuffled over to the man in front of her.

Once she was within arms reach Amachi knelt down to be at eye-level with her...only to shoot a hand out and wrap it around her throat.

As the child struggled to breath Amachi reached out his other hand and tightly gripped her wrist. Bringing her hand up the man asked, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice this?" With her arm raised the sleeve of her kimono dropped to reveal Isaribi had a kunai in her hand.

Slapping the girl to the floor, the pain knocking the weapon loose, the enraged scientist then went on to kick Isaribi in the ribs. "Stupid girl! After everything I've done for you, _this_ is the thanks I get!? You filthy bitch; it seems you need to be reminded of your place—hrgh!"

While Amachi was busy berating his whimpering charge he failed to notice the shimmer of movement as blue eyes circled around him. So wrapped up in his rant was he, that the fool hadn't noticed his assassin get in position behind him. The shock of having his throat slit didn't full register until Amachi crumpled to the floor and watched as two pairs of shinobi sandals shimmered into existence in front of him. Managing to lift his dimming sight, Amachi's last image of the living world was of a blonde kid standing next to a woman he recognized as Anko Mitarashi.

Once Naruto was sure the life had left his target the blonde felt his rage subside. It had taken every ounce of his self control not to rush the man the moment he laid eyes on him, but Isaribi's plea for a chance to do the deed herself halted him. At least until she was discovered. Then it became personal, and Naruto used his newly acquired stealth technique to deliver the killing blow.

It wasn't fancy, and there was no great battle to proceed the man's demise.

It was as a ninja assassination should be: unexpected and silent.

While Anko moved over to the man's computer to begin extracting files, Naruto went and scooped Isaribi into his arms to help assure her that everything was finished. "He can't hurt you anymore Isa-chan, it's over."

It took an expert like Anko only minutes to move every file on Amachi's computer onto a mini drive, but while she told Naruto he and Isaribi were free to head back, she herself had business in the lab. Knowing what type the woman meant. The blonde genin allowed Anko her privacy before exiting the lab and walking into the fresh air outside; mentally noting, for Isaribi at least, it was like finally walking into the light after fighting her way through a dark tunnel.

 ** _ **xXx**_**

 **A/N: That's the end of chapter 21. I'm a little eh about the ending, I feel it was a little bland, but in regards to the death of Amachi I hold firm. Not everything is going to be done in fist flying fashion; there will be other ways to kill someone.**

 **Now, the most important thing is that everyone understands that I don't personally condone anything that was hinted in this chapter. In fact, I consider crimes against children to be inhumane and unforgivable. It's also why I killed Amachi the way I did: I don't feel those who commit such crimes deserve the right to defend themselves.**

 **As for Isaribi herself, I don't get into detail about her sea monster form here because it's not something that was really needing mention yet. Obviously you can conclude Naruto and Anko have seen it, as it's how Isaribi made it to the island, but just didn't have a place to be shown off here. Now, in regards to her personality, I tried to imagine what Isaribi was like during the beginnings of her time under Amachi. I felt she was no where near as cold or unable to trust, I also believe she would be open to the possible escape from her tormentor even in spite of never being 'cured'. It was also why I made her younger, because she would still have the mind of a child, so it would be easier for thoughts and feelings like those to be more plausible as opposed to if she were an early teen.**

 _ **If anyone has any questions about anything else I'll gladly answer them. One thing for sure, as I've already decided this weeks ago, is that the introduction to the third round will be next chapter. This will also include a new look for Naruto, as I always found it annoying he only really changed once between 'Naruto' and 'Shippuden'.**_


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm putting this here to inform all who are about to read this chapter that I've addressed two or three issues reviewed to me in this newest update; most importantly the misunderstanding I created during Sasuke's battle with Kiba.**

 **Also, I'll be addressing some other topics in the ending note, so please read that as well.**

 **Oh, and I researched for myself and found that Zabuza's sword was, in fact, a zanbato so it will now be referred to as such!**

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 **Ch.18- Clashing steel; Naruto vs Ten-Ten**

 ** _ **xXx**_**

The clear blue sky hanging over the village of Konoha was dotted with colorful smoke as fireworks were set off in celebration. After four long, work-filled weeks the day everyone was waiting for had arrived.

It was time for the third and final part of the Chunin Exams.

At the gates copious foreigners were checked in by the guards Izumo and Kotetsu. Hundreds of thousands of people, ranging from a peddler looking to sell their goods to Daimyo of other countries looking to scout for talent, had turned up eager to take part in the action.

But even with all the excitement going on there were those who had no time to partake in the festivities. Those few were the competitors in the days main event.

Each genin could be found at home, preparing for their upcoming match and hoping that the training they had done over the past month would be enough to earn the title of chunin.

 _'Today's the day,'_ Ten-Ten thought confidently as she strapped a pair of pauldron to her shoulders. Finishing with her preparations the young kunoichi looked herself over. Aside from shoulder guards, the bun-haired girl had fitted a pair of shin guards to her legs as well as a chainmail shirt to cover her torso. Around her waist, for added protection, were two extra guards for her thighs.

While not normally one for armor Ten-Ten knew that, going up against Naruto, she couldn't afford to take any chances. So, making sure to keep her selections light but firm the weapon mistress considered herself ready. One last check to make sure all her scrolls were stored properly and Ten-Ten was headed out the door with her father.

In the clan sector of the village, within the walls of the Hyuga compound, both Hinata and her cousin Neji were preparing for their match as well...against each other.

The Hyuga heiress, like her fellow kunoichi, stood in front of a full-length mirror. But rather than readying herself physically the younger girl's actions aimed more towards the _mental_ aspect of competition.

 _'I can do this,'_ the heiress thought with conviction. Hinata had proven she could take whatever force an opponent could dish out, and now with her increased training from her father, the girl felt more than sure she could send it back twice as hard. _'I-It doesn't matter that it's Neji,'_ she told herself, but berated herself for the mental hiccup. Shaking her head fiercely so that her, now shoulder-length, hair whipped about Hinata hardened her gaze at the reflection she saw and exited her room, chin held high.

Unlike his cousin though Neji Hyuga would not be found giving himself a mental pep talk. No, instead the Hyuga genius was more interested in letting his thoughts wander to how much he was going to make his _cousin_ suffer. He had seen the spoiled daughter of his uncle Hiashi as she trained with the man; her skills in the family taijutsu were nowhere close to his own. Yes, she'd managed the full sixty-four palms, but Neji knew that against his superior speed it would mean nothing.

 _'Because in the end it won't matter how much she trains, her predestined limits cannot surpass my own fated genius. This match was over before it even started; destiny has already seen to that.'_ It was these final thoughts that Neji left the Hyuga compound with.

A very similar train of thought made its way through the mind of one Sasuke Uchiha as he too finished getting ready for the finals. However, unlike the rest, the youngest son of Mikoto Uchiha would not be found at home.

The raven-haired young genin stood amidst several shattered boulders deep within a canyon outside of Konoha. Beside him stood Kakashi, the Jounin watching as his student strapped the final belt to his new outfit. The Copy-Ninja felt the black spandex would help keep Sasuke more aerodynamic for his fight; no loose sleeves to billow in the wind as he ran. The belts however were special, they were currently circulating the boy's chakra in his arm, making sure it flowed much easier for his new attack.

As he flexed his bandage-covered hand Sasuke couldn't help feeling the fires of rage build up inside as he was forced to look on with only half his vision. While not totally destroying the eye Kiba's mutt had cost him much of the sight in his right eye; the scarred tissue surrounding the socket forming three diagonal reminders of the incident. If he ever wanted to have perfect vision again, Sasuke would require an implant.

And while that vexed him the thing that truly sent the last Uchiha's temper sky high was the fact that there would be no punishment for Kiba! It burned Sasuke to the core, and he had demanded retribution from the Hokage as well as the Council, but was stopped short when they all informed him that in granting his request he too would be punished.

"And why is that!? Kiba's mongrel just cost me one of my _Sharingan_ , a clan secret by law, he deserves to be-" Sasuke hadn't been able to finish because Tsume Inuzuka being forcibly restrained interrupted him.

"MONGREL!? Shikaku let go of me right now, I need to teach this insolent pup what happens when you insult a pack member of the Inuzuka clan!" The normally feral-looking but friendly Jounin had dropped all pretenses of civility and looked ready to rip Sasuke's head off. When her rage-filled eyes noticed the dismissive look the boy was giving her she practically ordered the Hokage to explain where the Uchiha could stick his demands.

Finally thinking he was going to speak to someone with sense Sasuke did in fact turn his attention on the elderly shinobi who sat before him...only to seethe at what he was told next.

"I'm sorry to say it Sasuke but, in regards to your demands there really is nothing we can do without punishing you as well." When it looked like the boy was going to argue though Hiruzen cut across him, "In the exams it is fully understood by all who participate that things such as death, or mutilation, are a

possibility. These exams are set up to demonstrate real-life scenarios; information gathering, vicious long-term assignments, and even deadly combat. And just because mauling your opponent isn't encouraged, doesn't mean it never happens."

"But that still doesn't answer why Kiba is getting away with breaking the law!"

"Actually, Sasuke Uchiha, It does." This came from Inoichi Yamanaka, who was seated beside Shikaku Nara and a now less irate Tsume.

"What you seem to be forgetting," the Yamanaka Patriarch continued to explain, "is that each and every genin who chooses to take part in the advancement exam are required to fill out an application. This not only allows the for keeping track of all the new faces flooding the hosts village, but there's also a written agreement, like the one given for the Forest of Death, asking if the genin in question is willing to accept the risks involved with testing. In this case, the loss of your sight, or Akamaru's death."

At this point the Hokage took over again, "Which means, Sasuke, that by filling out that applicant form you signed off that you understood the risks involved with taking the exams and were choosing to attempt them anyway. Legally, there truly is nothing to be done other than hand you the compensation fee given out to families that lose a member in the exams."

As he clenched his bandaged fist in anger Sasuke recalled the end of his meeting with the Konoha shinobi Council, and how they went on to explain how, if not for the paperwork, any village could seek retribution, or even declare war, over what they might perceive as a targeted attack on any of their shinobi.

There truly was _nothing_ Sasuke could do.

For the first time since his families massacre Sasuke found himself unable to extort his inflated title to get what he wanted. And although it wasn't something he made a terrible habit of, the last Uchiha found he didn't like the idea of being told 'no'.

Fortunately though for the boy's frustrated feelings, his sensei calling him to run through one last spar before heading to the finals gave him something to vent at.

 **xXx**

From atop the Hokage's monument sharp blue eyes stared out over the village. A few times they strayed towards the large stadium where the finals would soon be taking place;where Naruto knew he would soon, hopefully, become a chunin.

Thinking back over the month he trained under Anko the blonde couldn't help smiling under his bandages.

After their time in Sea country the duo had returned with their new friend, Isaribi, and reported their mission a success. It was only after Anko handed their Hokage a scroll containing everything she'd plundered from Amachi's lab, that the woman's face broke from its stern facade and she ordered her student to meet her outside the Forest of Death the following morning.

Chuckling quietly to himself Naruto recalled how he was expecting her to use the area for their continued training period, only to be surprised when she instead handed him another mission scroll.

This one, a C-rank, was a cleansing of the forest surrounding Bear country; the populace had been over run by bandits.

When he asked about his training Anko informed him that there was no better way to train him in being a chunin than giving him ample, real-world, experience. She informed him that books and practice sessions only got one so far, and that instinct and experience were key to becoming a successful squad leader.

And so, it was after enrolling his new charge, Isaribi, into the ninja academy that student and teacher left to take on their next mission. On that, like the last, would turn out to be more than meets the eye.

 _'Because that's where I met you,'_ the young Uzumaki thought fondly as his sharp stare softened. Letting his eyes drop to his lap, Naruto gazed fondly at the small wolf pup cuddling his stomach. However, if one were to look they would quickly see that this small creature was very different from the average wild dog.

For starters, while its fur was a shimmering onyx color the perfection was streaked with numerous lines of red. And even the contrasted fur itself was different; instead of simple splashes of color, they formed runic-like symbols in the pup's coat. But that wasn't the only thing separating Naruto's furry friend from an everyday wolf—it's tail, instead of fur, was made up of a pure blue flame.

This wolf pup was a member of the _Hofukami;_ the flaming wolf clan. Her name was Maya, and she was one of the lowest-level summons in Naruto's contract.

It had been by accident that Naruto found out about the _Hokfukami,_ as he'd never even heard of them. But during his mission with Anko the young genin had found little Maya snagged in a hideous hunting trap, the jaws snapped shut around the whimpering pup's hind leg. What made matters worse were the men that surrounded her.

Naruto still remembered the rage he felt, seeing some of the very same bandits he'd been sent to exterminate about to end the life of such an innocent creature. It was without hesitation that the blonde sprung into action, swiftly dispatching the circle of filth, before then turning his attention to the injured pup.

He'd barely taken a step before the cavalry arrived though.

Through the trees a handful of wolves burst forth, bypassing Naruto and surrounding their downed pack member. And while normally this would set anybody on edge, Naruto had nearly let his eyes pop from his skull when he took a closer look at his new company.

Each of them was a different color; some the common gray or brown, but others stood out with shockingly orange or even green fur. But that wasn't the kicker—they all stood on their hind legs!

The wolves had been dressed in loin clothes and some had varying degrees of armor, but it was their wiry physique as well as their runic covered fur that had Naruto understanding what he was seeing. These weren't freaks in costumes or animal pelts, they were animals from a summoning contract.

From there it had quickly gotten interesting, as Naruto rushed to explain the scene; pointing out the other men laying on the ground to help corroborate his story.

However it wasn't until the pup, whom the blonde quickly learned was named Maya, had been freed and tended to that the other wolves fully believed him...and that's when the Leaf shinobi was given another shock: it had been a test!

The wolves explained that they had sensed Naruto's arrival, telling the blonde that the older members of their pack had innate sensory abilities, and that they wished to see if his character was as upstanding as his strength. They themselves were then in for a surprise when Naruto explained that the power they had felt actually belonged to the Kyubi, and that he himself was still only a genin.

 _'But that didn't change their mind one bit,'_ Naruto thought as he let his hand run through Maya's sleek, furry coat. _'I was taken to their elder and offered the chance to sign their contract.'_

Naruto then recalled, after returning to Anko, how the woman had become ecstatic over her little hatchling having procured his own summon, as well as her express interest in how they did in the field. In short order, the bandit camp was cleaned away an entire day ahead of schedule.

After that Naruto and Anko managed to complete one more mission before, with only a handful of days left, they would spend the rest of their time doing exactly what the blonde had expected from the beginning. With the help of his new summons, Anko ran her charge through the gauntlet that was the Forest of Death.

"And now, it's time to put all that work to the test."

"Which can't happen if you're disqualified for being late Onii-san," came a familiar voice from behind the now standing blonde.

Naruto turned and, with Maya curling against his shoulder, accepted the hug his Isa-chan moved to give him. In the month she'd been in the academy the girl had brightened considerably from the forlorn youth her blonde savior had found her as. With a home beside her 'Onii-san', a warm bed, and now friends who saw her scales as 'cool' Isaribi was turning into a whole new person.

Laughing quietly at the younger girl's jibe Naruto assured Isaribi that he was leaving now, and would be on time.

"Good, because you need to hurry up and make Jounin so I don't have to worry about who my sensei will be after I graduate."

Naruto just reminded her she still had a few more years to go before having to worry about that, and then asked her to wish him luck before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

 **xXx**

The genin competing in the finals all stood in a single-file line. The six pairs of eyes that looked back at Genma Shiranui almost all held a look of fierce determination, only two held something different; arrogance and boredom.

 _'Wait, six?'_

Genma looked again and indeed found that two of the finalists were missing. "Where are Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha?"

"While my team-mate is probably lost somewhere on the " _road of life_ ", I'm right here."

The new but familiar voice caused each person on the stadium grounds to crane their necks; Naruto had been standing behind Genma the entire time. However, the sight that filled their eyes was something none of them expected.

 _'What a drag, we can always count on Naruto to make a spectacle of himself,'_ Shikamaru Nara thought as he took in the blonde's new attire.

Gone was the hooded vest. In its place was a black trench coat, clipped at the waist, whose torso and sleeves were fitted perfectly to the blonde's frame while everything below the waist billowed outwards. Like Naruto's old vest, this too had a hood, it shadows covered all but the young man's still-bandaged jaw. Onlookers could also see, with the zipper pulled partway down, that the blonde was bare-chested underneath.

Naruto's lower-body was clothed in something similar to his coat; form-fitting black pants that disappeared into knee-high, plated boots. His hands were hidden underneath pure black gloves, while the ever imposing _Kubikiribocho_ rested in its carrier against his back.

As he walked over to join his fellow Leaf shinobi some of them couldn't help noticing that, despite his lack of height, the blonde's look cut an impressively imposing figure.

Seeing that he now at least had both competitors for the opening match Genma decided that was more than good enough to begin. "Alright then, seeing as at least we can start things off properly lets get this thing started. If you take a second to look around you'll see that the stands are filled with not only villagers from Konoha, but numerous dignitaries and travelers from across the country. They are all here for one purpose: to watch you. They've all traveled thousands of miles to see what talented shinobi you all are, so how about we give them a good show?"

Eyeing Naruto and Ten-Ten he explained, like last time, that the two of them would be staying put while the other genin were to ascend into the stands.

It was as he was moving into position that Naruto remembered something.

"Hey wait where's that guy, Hayate, the one who proctored the preliminary rounds?"

Knowing he couldn't very well tell the blonde that Gekko Hayate had been murdered Genma chose instead to give the hooded blonde a story about how, a complication concerning the man's coughing fits kept him form being able to referee the finals.

"Now, if there are no more questions and you two are ready, then let the first match of the Chunin Exam finals begin!"

 **xXx**

Neither Ten-Ten nor Naruto took their eyes off each other as their proctor leaped back out of the way. With the match officially on, both knew that to do so could spell defeat.

Clenching and and opening her fists in calm succession the bun-haired girl smirked at her shorter opponent. "I've been training all month for this moment Naruto; I hope you're ready."

From underneath his bandages she saw him match her smirk with one of his own. "That's flattering,but I'm sorry to say that I just don't think it'll be enough."

Ten-Ten's smirk morphed into a challenging grin as she swiftly pulled two handful of kunai from the holsters on her thighs and answered, "We'll just see about that."

Making the first move the brunette kunoichi launched her small volley of kunai at her opponent. However she didn't stop there, once her hands were free the girl leaped into the air and pulled a scroll from a pouch on her belt. Unsealing the weapon inside, Ten-Ten revealed a sickle-and-chain. However unlike most this one had a link far longer than the customary length.

Swinging the weighted end swiftly over her head the bun-haired brunette launched it when she noticed her opponent simply deflected her hail of kunai with a single one of his own.

Naruto saw the attack coming and, after knocking away the last opposing kunai, jumped back out of the heavy iron balls flight path. Blue eyes widened underneath the cowl of their owner's hood though when Naruto watched as Ten-Ten let the balls impact into the ground jerk her into a dive attack.

Steel clashed as Naruto's kunai fended off his female opponent's kama.

Twisting her body Ten-Ten hauled herself over her fellow genin, but using her free hand also made sure to wrap her weapon's chain around his neck as she landed. It was as she touched the ground though that the armor-clad fighter spun on the balls of her feet so as to bring herself crouched in front of Naruto's chest.

Jerking the bit of chain wrapped around her hand Ten-Ten pulled Naruto forward and into a fierce palm-strike. While normally she would have thought to use her kama, the bun-haired kunoichi knew that she and Naruto would both do their best to avoid lethal hits; there was no fun if one of them ended up dead after all.

Naruto choked as the hit struck home, but just as quickly smiled before he exploded into a cloud of smoke marking him as a shadow clone.

Ten-Ten just as quickly reeled in her chain before sealing it away and replacing it with a short sword/shield combo.

 _'I can't say I'm too surprised, but I am curious as to when he did the switch. Or for that matter when the clone was even made.'_ Thoughts on her opponent's battle strategy were put on hold however, as chocolate-brown eyes watched the arena begin to fill with mist.

Up in the stands many spectators ruffled their feathers at their view being cut off. The shinobi among the civilian mass held a different opinion though.

"He's breaking out that technique already?" Asuma questioned as he and his fellow Jounin looked on. Turning his attention to Anko, who stood to the left of Kurenai he asked her thoughts on the boy's decision.

"Don't you worry about what my student is doing Asuma; just worry about what'll happen to _yours_ if he has to go up against him."

Seeing the smug look on her long-time friends face Kurenai raised a questioning eyebrow of her own and wondered, "When exactly did he officially become your student Anko? Isn't he still part of Squad 7?"

Pupil-less brown eyes gleamed with confidence, a strange sight given the question, until the woman being asked eagerly replied. "That's only until the exams are over; once these matches are through, the kid's all mine as far as I'm concerned."

"You have that much confidence in his ability to impress the judges?" Might Guy chimed in. He himself had seen the great lengths his students had gone in training for this day, but even still would be hard pressed to consider them chunin worthy.

"I do." Was the only reply Anko gave as she returned her eyes to the field below.

Back down below Ten-Ten had changed her position. Instead of a crouched, ready stance the girl had shifted so that she now had one knee pressed against the earth and her shield covering her entire left side.

With her sword poised for attack and her senses strained Ten-Ten couldn't help feeling excited. While not an open clash of steel,the bun-haired kunoichi was still enjoying herself; the thrill of the unknown sent her heart racing. However it was the blood rushing to her ears that almost kept her from hearing the oncoming attack.

It was lightening fast, and the girl barely managed to roll out of the way of the shuriken storm, but after doing so realized her folly.

Now Naruto knew her position!

The next attack was a heavy one; it smashed against the girl's shield and sent her toppling into the dirt. The follow-up came just as quick, a lightning fast maneuver that glanced the downed kunoichi's unprotected left side.

"Grgh!" Ten-Ten grunted in pain, thankful that her chainmail shirt had managed to absorb most of the attack. In an act of pure reflex the girl's arm shot out, sword swinging, attempting to strike a blow against her attacker.

No dice. Ten-Ten's blade found nothing but air, and the girl quickly paid for it with another glancing blow. This time to her open back.

However unlike the last attack, which had felt more like the slash of steel claws, this one was very easily identified as a spartan kick. The force of the attack had the unbalanced brunette once again finding her face in the dirt. Only this time, instead of landing in a heap, Ten-Ten managed to carry herself with the momentum and rolled into another defensive crouch.

It was in that position that the girl waited. Ten-Ten sucked air into her lungs as she tried to calm her racing heart; Naruto was much more skilled than she'd expected. To create a mist so thick, and maintain it so long, was a feat no normal genin could ever hope to accomplish.

And yet, just as the bun-haired girl allowed her mind to praise her opponent for this amazing skill the mist began to clear.

It happened slowly as if to act like the reveal of some big mystery, but eventually Ten-Ten's chocolate-brown eyes were filled with the full color view of the arena; one that included an image of Naruto standing barely ten feet from her downed position.

"I wanna thank you for letting me test out that strategy Ten-Ten. I'd thought it up just yesterday, so it's not exactly battlefield ready, but you've shown me that with a little tweaking it could be effective."

The blonde's appreciation was lost on all who heard him, as they hadn't been able to see a thing, while the girl being thanked assumed it had been something to do with his clones. What neither she or the spectators below Jounin level knew was that the blonde had just tested an attack pattern with his new summons.

From her spot on the ground Ten-Ten grinned to her fellow genin though, giving little thought to the fact that she had just been knocked around, and instead chose to revel in the fact that she'd been paired with such a fun opponent.

Standing to her feet and settling back into her defensive stance the armored weapon mistress called to Naruto, "I'm more than happy to help Naruto, but what do you say we take some time to give these people a show? The judges _do_ have to see how well we do in open combat after all."

Knowing exactly what she meant the hooded blonde reached back and tightly gripped the handle of his large sword. Pulling it free, Naruto brought it to rest against the ground with both hands.

Letting her smile overtake her face Ten-Ten tensed the muscles in her left arm before pulling back, and then launching it, and her shield, forward. With the release of her defense Ten-Ten quickly pulled another scroll from her belt, dropping her short sword in the scramble, before summoning forth a vicious looking spear.

Naruto dodged the shield before watching as she made good on her word to give the crowd a show by showing off a multitude of flashy spin moves with her new weapon of choice.

Content to follow her advice, as it would give him time to loosen up, the young Uzumaki allowed his opponent the chance to finish before pushing off of his right foot and rushing into battle.

As expected Naruto found himself sliding out of the way as Ten-Ten thrust her spear's gold-plated tip at his sternum. Letting his body swing around, the blonde lowered into a crouch before attempting the knock the bun-haired girl's feet out from under her with the flat of his large blade.

Ten-Ten caught on quick though and easily managed to avoid being taken down. Following through with her opening thrust the young kunoichi ran her spearhead into the ground, and then used it to vault into the air before snapping a leg out in a kick that caught the side of Naruto's head. Pleased when her target didn't burst into smoke this time Ten-Ten fished out another handful of shuriken before launching them as she dropped to the ground.

Rolling with the hit he'd just taken Naruto ended in a crouch and, hearing the fast approaching projectiles, moved _kubikiribocho_ to act as a shield. Peering over the large blade of his sword, Naruto was a little surprised to see his opponent rushing towards him.

Thinking quick Naruto followed the girl's lead and shoved his weapon into the earth when he felt she was close enough. Only this time, the blonde chose to leap over her completely before dead-legging her, and finishing up by slamming her head against his planted sword. However, when Naruto went on to try and follow through with an elbow strike he was halted by Ten-Ten's quick grab for the incoming smash attack.

Using one of her fancy practice maneuvers, Ten-Ten flipped and gripped the tail end of her spear before ramming it into Naruto's gut. With the wind knocked out of him now Ten-Ten's next move was to take hold of her weapon with both hands and snap it up, slamming it into the underside of her blonde opponent's jaw.

Spittle flew from Naruto's lips as he just managed to miss biting his own tongue. However before he could think to try a counter attack, the hooded genin found himself being slammed full force with his female foe's weapon. Ten-Ten had swung it like a bat, and the resounding strength behind the blow sent the unprepared young blonde skidding back along the arena floor.

With Naruto at least a good five yards away Ten-Ten quickly jammed her spear into the ground and reached out to take hold of _kubikiribocho's_ handle. A shiver of excitement wracked the girl's body as she felt the latent power that seemed to ooze from the just the grip alone. Feeling her muscles flex, the girl went and pulled the sword from the earth...or at least she tried to. Ten-Ten found that with just a single arm she barely even able to budge the sword, much less free it from its dirty sheath, so the girl condemned herself to using two hands, and with a groan of effort finally pulled her opponent's weapon free.

 _'Holy mother of—this thing's gotta weigh at least eighty pounds! How on earth does he even swing this thing, let alone throw it!?'_ Although she trained under the physically powerful Might Guy, Ten-Ten herself had never been one for muscular strength; making adjustments to heavier weapons to better suit her personal style. Because of that the girl found herself unable to even lift the _zabatou_ from its resting place against the ground.

Her distraction cost her.

A fully packed knuckle-sandwich was served to her cheek, and the powerful punch sent Ten-Ten rocketing back. Hands ripping from their hold on the large swords handle, and feet lifting off the ground, every spectator in the arena watched as Ten-Ten was sent flying through the air.

A pair of blue eyes in particular kept themselves trained on their owner's opponent while a gloved hand reached out and caught the fumbled blade, stopping the famous sword from clattering to the dirt.

Not willing to waste an opportunity Naruto quickly followed after his stunned, bun-haired adversary and swiftly managed to close the gap before passing her. Tensing his body, the blonde hopped into the air and delivered a devastating spin-kick. Landing safely Naruto watched a moment as Ten-Ten rolled across the arena grounds before finally stopping on her side.

Propped up by her scraped left arm the aforementioned kunoichi spat out the glob of blood that had pooled in her mouth from the harsh sucker-punch she'd received only seconds ago.

With stained teeth and a distasteful aftertaste burning her tongue Ten-Ten pushed herself onto all fours before making it to a kneeling position. But after only a few seconds to catch her breath, the lightly battered young girl felt her eyebrows jump towards her hairline in shock as she was covered by a dark shadow. Shooting her eyes up, Ten-Ten barely had time to summon a pair of _kodachi_ and put up a cross block. Just like their fight before the first exam the young kunoichi felt her arms buckle under the intensity of Naruto's strike, as well as the weight of his weapon.

Feeling her muscles screaming at her for ordering them to stave off such a heavy load Ten-Ten grunted harshly as she pushed off her kneeling leg to roll out of Naruto's swing path.

Quickly moving to her feet the armor-clad girl rushed in to try and keep her opponent on the defensive.

Swinging high first with her left hand, Ten-Ten immediately followed suit with a jab from the short blade in her right. Giving herself a silent pat on the back upon noticing she'd gotten inside the blonde's guard, that pride quickly turned to surprise when she saw the blow being glanced off; as if hitting against shield!

Refusing to let the thought distract her though Ten-Ten spun on her foot and threw out a roundhouse-kick.

Naruto expertly managed to duck under it though and even caught the wrist of the arm that swung around next in an attempt to follow up with another horizontal _kodachi_ swipe. Not giving his female opponent the chance to react, the blonde swiftly retaliated with snap-kick that sent Ten-Ten stumbling back. It was here that Naruto engaged his _zanbato's_ reach and shoved the blade forward.

Ten-Ten just managed to stumble out of the way, the attack glancing off her chainmail shirt, before using her double short swords to block the sweeping slash her hooded opponent attempted next. With her sandal-clad feet sliding through the dirt, and her blood once again pumping in her ears, the bun-haired girl decided that it was time to bring out her secret weapon. Letting Naruto push her away Ten-Ten loosened her stance so that her feet carried her that much further back; once she'd gained enough distance the weapon mistress discarded her latest summon, and replaced it with a standard katana.

From his place about ten yards away Naruto watched as his opponent settled into a stance he'd never seen before. Blue eyes took in the way Ten-Ten stretched her left leg out in front, bending it lightly at the knee, while resting her weight on the back leg whose knee angled to support the added pressure. He watched as the armored girl leveled her katana horizontally beside her chest, elbow bent, while her other hand was stretched out with its fingertips resting against the tip of the blade.

It was a stance the blonde had never seen before, but if the bun-haired girl's triumphant smirk was anything to go off of, then it was one he would need to learn about quickly or otherwise lose the match.

 **xXx**

Back up in the stands many of the veteran shinobi couldn't help being impressed with the level of skill shown by the two genin down below. Unfortunately though, the talks among the group pointed out one major flaw.

"Ten-Ten has great practical skill Guy, but it doesn't look like she puts much thought into planning beyond the moment." The evaluation came from the ever analytical Kurenai.

The ruby-eyed Jounin had watched the match from the minute it began, up until its current moment and had honestly been over all disappointed with her fellow kunoichi. She'd heard that the girl had a goal of becoming a lethal weapon mistress, and in that regard Squad 8's instructor relented she was quickly achieving, but Kurenai was disheartened by the fact that brute force seemed to be the only thing Ten-Ten seemed capable of.

Shaking her head the dress-clad genjutsu mistress relented, "She's well on her way to becoming a powerful weapon specialist, as she's shown great aptitude for various types already, but I fear that in her quest she has forgotten there is more to a fight than just swinging a sword."

"I gotta agree with Kurenai on that one," followed Asuma, "your student hasn't shown off any type of ninjutsu or genjutsu. And any taijutsu has only been tied in to combine with her bukijutsu. I'm sorry tpo say that, had Naruto decided to keep his mist going or employed any of the ninjutsu he know doubt has under his belt, your student would have fallen by now."

Might Guy listened to all of this with a stern mask of contemplation on his face. The spandex-clad taijutsu master knew his fellow Jounin had a point, so there was no use arguing with them, but the man did voice his own opinion so as to defend his students decision.

"While what you say maybe true you forget two things; both Lee and even Neji employ either complete, or nearly complete taijutsu in battle. Lee has no real chakra potential to speak of and yet managed to stand against a shinobi as powerful as the Kazekage's son. And in regards to Neji? That boy may channel chakra to his fingertips for a deadlier assault, but we all know that even without the use of that technique he's more than a match for almost all of the other genin our village has to offer and possibly even some of our greener chunin."

Continuing on Guy went on to lay out that, so while Ten-Ten had yet to truly grasp the concept of strategy, she should not be faulted totally for her devotion to bukijutsu.

"She very well may not impress the judges this time around but, I believe my student will learn much from her first exam, and be more than ready to succeed during the next exam."

The three other Jounin saw the smile on Guy's face and were surprised to see the confident look that overtook his thoughtful expression. Each of them could honestly say that the man's belief in his student's potential was one of his greatest qualities.

Over in their seats the genin that fell under the charge of these Jounin were busy having their own conversation.

"Wow Shikamaru, did you see that punch!? Naruto nearly knocked her head off!" Choji spattered crumbs onto the floor as he vocalized his wonder with a mouthful of potato chips.

His childhood friend and now team-mate looked on at the two genin down in the arena and couldn't contain his own surprise as he answered back. "No kidding. Man, what a drag, Naruto went from shrimp to superhuman in the blink of an eye; I don't even recognize him. The dobe we left back at the academy would have never come up with the strategy this Naruto did."

The Nara heir's words drew the attention of said blonde's female team-mate. Sakura was sitting next to Ino, both dressed in civilian clothes as they were merely spectators that day, and had heard what the pony-tailed sloth had muttered. "What do you mean Shikamaru, what did he do?"

"You mean you didn't notice it?" The youth in question raised a brow in surprise.

However before he could answer the pinkette's negative head shake with a reply Shikamaru found himself cut off by the second genius of their age group; Shino.

"Uzumaki set up a _shadow-clone_ outside the stadium and somehow managed to follow it inside without anyone seeing him. He then used the clone to engage Ten-Ten in an effort to test her strength, before then using his _Hidden Mist_ technique to allow him the ability to work his way into the battle seamlessly. The plan was quite impressive indeed."

Both kunoichi were equally shocked by this revelation. To the two of them it just didn't seem possible- Naruto using strategy?

But the praise didn't stop there.

"And then there's his combat skills," Shikamaru continued, taking over from the young Aburame. "That girl is a whole year ahead of us and yet Naruto not only caught up to, but is outclassing her in both skill _and_ speed. It's unreal."

For many of the ears that listened in Shikamaru Nara's assessment was correct; the Naruto Uzumaki everybody had known for so long couldn't be doing any of what the one in the arena was doing. But for one young girl in particular, her fellow clan heir was simply stating facts she'd already known.

Hinata Hyuga had absolutely no trouble believing that the blonde who unknowingly held her affections was now skirting around his older opponent so skillfully. For the shy heiress this was all things she had already seen and knew were possible; the fact he was now getting the chance to show this off just meant now others could see what Hinata already idolized.

During the preliminary rounds, and even far back enough to the written exam, Hinata had worried about her blonde crush. He seemed to have become a totally different person after the academy. No longer did he amble around in his orange jumpsuit, or loudly announce his presence to those around him. Instead he had become quieter, more calculating, and had a certain set in his jaw that Hinata couldn't help to notice.

While not sure what had caused it at the time, the shy girl understood immediately what had been the result; Naruto Uzumaki had matured.

No longer the pouting boy of days passed Hinata looked over the new Naruto with scrutiny as she weighed his changes. And while at first, admittedly, she felt the boy she'd grown so fond of had disappeared, Hinata soon realized that all that had really happened was he had evolved into a young man; someone who understood what was asked of him as a shinobi, and was willing to do it.

Even if it meant killing.

That had been a truly frightening, as well as eye opening, experience for the pacifistic young girl. Watching the way her crush so easily managed to end that Sound shinobi's life had worried her; but what was worse was the look she'd seen in his eyes as he did it.

The mesmerizing pools of blue that caused Hinata's heart to race had become cold, rigid cuts of sapphire. For a few moments after that the timid Hyuga heiress believed it was the tell-tale sign that the Naruto she'd originally pined for had died...until that single moment after her match.

Hinata recalled the way he had looked at her as she knelt there on the arena's tile floor. His eyes weren't those of a ruthless killing machine, or something equally as savage, but nor were they the joyful and exuberant pair she had grown to dream of. No, the azure gaze that looked upon Hinata after her match was that of the _real_ Naruto; the one she'd seen glimpses of as she watched him train from afar. They were the eyes of the young man who, behind a goofy smile, refused to give up or dishonor his word.

They were the eyes that she now saw in her dreams as she felt her heart fully open to the finally revealed, true form, of Naruto Uzumaki.

Just thinking about the journey her feelings had taken made Hinata try to hide an embarrassed smile. Through her thoughts and evolving feelings the girl realized that, mentally, she too had changed. Now the only question was: would Naruto notice, and if so _like_ , the new her?

The young heiress didn't get a chance to ponder this thought though as another, younger voice made itself known.

"I know what you guys mean; isn't Onii-san the greatest?"

All eyes turned in the direction of the voice, and each of the surrounding genin were surprised to find a little girl, covered in scales, sitting just a row above where Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were sitting. However the shock of the scales was soon replaced when they all recalled something the new girl had said.

 _'Onii-san?'_

 **xXx**

Back down below Naruto had returned his large blade it its place on his back, and then surprised his opponent when he pulled a ninjato from behind his back.

 _'His coat,'_ Ten-Ten realized. The billowing waist length hadn't just been for aesthetic appeal, its true purpose had been to conceal the blonde's secondary weapon. As she watched her hooded opponent settle into the common _Ko Gasumi_ stance the female member of Squad 9 had to admit she was impressed to see the blonde understand that, with his limited experience, using the massive zanbato wasn't ideal against a more advanced opponent in a pure clash of steel.

Chocolate-brown locked with azure-blue as both fighters steadied their breathing for what they knew was to be the last round of their match.

Confident in her newly acquired _Gatotsu_ Ten-Ten started things off. Digging her sandal-clad foot into the dirt she used all the strength she had to push off, and then seemed to fly at her blonde target.

Naruto was pleased at the level of speed his female adversary moved to engage him; she had obviously been holding back the lion's share of her physical ability. The blonde dared not to blink as he watched the bun-haired girl swiftly closing in on him from underneath his hood. Deciding not to just stand around and wait though, the young Uzumaki let himself rocket forward to meet his new challenge.

Steel ' _clanged'_ as both blades scraped against each other. With its longer reach Naruto knew he had to act immediately upon making contact with Ten-Ten's katana using his own outstretched blade. Weaving just centimeters underneath the deadly forged steel Naruto could still feel the katana graze his clothed shoulder. Hoping for an opening the blonde swung his arm out to redirect the opposing weapon with his own. From there Naruto spun himself around the girl in front of him, so that he faced her back, and then ran his ninjato forward in an effort to slice through her unprotected forearm.

Ten-Ten wasn't going to let this happen though and instead somersaulted forward on the momentum of her opening _Gatotsu_ lunge. Once her feet were back on the ground, the bun-haired kunoichi jumped forward to re-engage her opponent.

Ducking under the blade aimed straight at him, Naruto chanced a stab at his fellow genin's unprotected inner-thigh.

This attempt was thwarted as Ten-Ten twisted her body to the left, and the blonde's ninjato instead grazed off her right thigh protector. Angling her katana to a slant, the armored kunoichi pushed her blade down in an effort to pierce into Naruto's shoulder.

The move proved to be a mistake when the girl's target surprised her by deflecting the strike with his forearm, before taking advantage of her awkward position and managed to slice the flesh of her inner left thigh.

Naruto had drawn first blood.

Instinct kicked in and Ten-Ten's uninjured leg shot out, smashing her right knee into Naruto's nose and sending him rolling backwards.

In an attempt to capitalize on his downed form Ten-Ten bit through the hot pain in her leg and rushed after the opponent she'd just knocked away.

Naruto felt his hood fall away as he forced himself to stop, and then threw his arms up, ninjato in hand, to deflect the hasty thrust that the brunette in front of him had put together. After that, the blonde felt the heat of battle rush through his veins and dictate his next move.

Thrusting out his left hand Naruto demonstrated an ability almost no other shinobi had been capable of', and that he himself knew only one of; jutsu without hand-signs.

" _Wind-style: Great Breakthrough!_ "

The force of the C-ranked ninjutsu was amplified by the young genin's seemingly endless chakra reserves. And with his mind so focused on the battle now, Naruto had no thoughts about regulating his strength.

Ten-Ten had no time to even think of avoiding the attack as, like an invisible bull, Naruto's technique slammed against her sternum and blasted her through the air before she was left bouncing against the ground like a skipped stone.

With his hood down and now pooled at his shoulders Naruto was subjected to the bright rays of the early afternoon sun.

Squinting, the blonde looked across the field at his now downed opponent, as Ten-Ten's body had finally stopped skipping and was laying in a crumpled heap in the dirt. He, along with every other pair of eyes watching, waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.

They weren't forced to wait long.

Each set of ears in the stadium was trained on the battlefield and so everyone heard Ten-Ten as she groaned in obvious pain.

Ten-Ten moved her arms in an attempt to push herself up but quickly threw that idea out as her right arm flared in horrendous pain; it had been broken. _'At least it matches those ribs he hit,'_ the weary kunoichi thought in a moment of dry humor. Taking further stock of her condition the girl noticed that, during her tumble, her buns had come undone and her long brown hair was now raining down like a curtain. Ten-Ten could also see that one of her pauldrons had shattered on impact with the ground too, and the shoulder that had been hidden underneath now sat dripping blood.

These, along with what the girl was sure to be a concussion, were just at the top of the list. Ten-Ten could also feel the various bruises forming all across her body, as well as the many smaller scrapes and cuts that she'd sustained during her crash.

Knowing there was no way she could continue, even if she wanted to, Ten-Ten raised her unbroken hand and flashed the signal for surrender.

Just as in the preliminary rounds, Naruto Uzumaki walked away with the first victory of the day.

 **xXx**

 **A/N: So I actually managed to get two chapters out in the same month; something I hadn't done in a long while.**

 **Pretty sure this is the longest one in a while too, but in regards to that it's because I found this chapter to actually be a very enjoyable one to type up.**

 **Okay, so first thing's first; Naruto's affinities/skill level. Yes he has three, and yes they are Fire, Water, and Wind. And in case anyone needs convincing that someone his age can use those skills believably than I urge you to look at his son Boruto. Because while I don't personally care for the follow-up series to Naruto's story it's worth mentioning so people understand that a twelve/thirteen year old can be as skilled as I've made Naruto.**

 _ **Now his jump from dead last to chunin-par could be seen as fast, and I can understand that, but I've always believed that Naruto was consistently dealt a bad hand in terms of being trained;which I'm sure I covered in an author's note before, but I seem to feel the need to repeat myself. Naruto I think had a raw ability to progress, as seen when he manages to form the Rasengan in a week and even create the Rasenshuriken in so little time before his use of it against Kakazu.**_

 **I've addressed a comment I'd seen regarding Naruto's 180 attitude adjustment in what I hope is an acceptable manner. What that means is, I personally am okay with the way I worded and typed it up, so flames or derogatory comments will be dismissed. As they will be in regards to anything else form now on. Yes, Dragon Ball Z is in fact my favorite series. Yes, I actually like the battles they showcase in the ORIGINAL series. And while, yes, I do nitpick through DB Super I am not a die hard fan of it. So yes, if at any point I happen to make a battle seem like a power race understand that it is subconscious as I understand not everyone feels the same way about the show as I do.**

 **However rest assured that Naruto's personal battles will always be something I make sure showcase actual use of skill rather than bull-raging power.**

 **Not really sure what else to point out here so I guess I'll leave it at the usual offer to answer any questions or comments given through review or PM.**


	19. Chapter 19

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 _ **Ch. 19- Byakugan Blazes; Neji vs Hinata**_

 _ **xXx**_

Steel-gray eyes looked down from the Kage's viewing box as their owner, Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched as one of his subordinates exited the arena after winning his first match.

Tipping his hat in an effort to hide his proud smile the Sandaime Hokage couldn't help be wowed by the amount of progress his favorite, blonde knucklehead had made in the months since he'd graduated the academy.

 _'That boy just might very well take this hat from me after all,'_ the elderly shinobi thought.

From the first time he'd heard the boy declare his intentions to become the next Hokage Sarutobi could honestly say he wasn't very impressed; the old man could see the blonde's reasons at the time were purely selfish. And had they still been by the time Naruto was old enough to be considered then the reinstated Fire Shadow would have denied him the opportunity.

But then that escort mission to Wave happened, and everything changed.

Hiruzen had seen it right away. Something in Naruto's eyes had been different the day Squad 7 reported on their mission success. The elderly Hokage saw a more mature light, and a sense of understanding that hadn't been there when the boy had left.

Both of which had only intensified the next time he'd seen him before the preliminaries. And then he watched Naruto take a life.

Seeing the way Naruto seemed to just shrug off ending the Oto genin's bloody death had frightened the elderly genius, but after he was taken on by Anko and she assured him that the blonde's mental state was healthy Hiruzen had let out the breath he'd been holding. Naruto was not becoming another Orochimaru.

 _'No, if anything I can see bits of his mother in there. It seems, like her, he has begun to master the mentality of what it means to be a ninja while understanding how to keep his emotions in tact. And while not a genius like Minato, the boy truly does have that same raw potential his father was so famous for.'_

Yes Hiruzen could see, demonstrated clearly from the match he'd just witnessed, that Naruto Uzumaki had truly become a splendid ninja as well as a credit to what it meant to be a shinobi.

And that was why, when it came time to offer names to be promoted, he would have no doubts when he voiced his backing for the blonde's advancement.

The smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was missed by many, but one pair of eyes in particular had caught it immediately. Sitting not five feet away was the Kazekage of Suna; or at least, someone who everyone believed to be Sabaku no Rasa.

In truth, hidden beneath the man's beady eyes was the snake-like gaze of Orochimaru.

The former Leaf shinobi eyed his former teacher with distaste; he had never forgiven the man for choosing Minato to be his successor rather than himself. And sitting there, watching the way Sarutobi smiled at the blonde down below, brought back memories of the day Orochimaru would later learn that Hiruzen mentally chose the next Hokage.

It was that same smile. And now, knowing what it meant, seeing it set off a raging storm inside the snake summoner.

However it also peeked the pale rouge ninja's interest.

Because while he may always despise the Yondaime for stealing the position Orochimaru felt he himself rightly deserved, let it never be said that the Sannin was unable to appreciate true talent.

 _'And from what I can see,'_ the man's serpentine tongue slid over his lips, _'that boy has truly tremendous talent.'_

Perhaps after the invasion, and Konoha's destruction Orochimaru might even consider keeping the boy to use as the next body after Sasuke.

 _ **xXx**_

While Ten-Ten was being carted away and her weapons retrieved Naruto made his way back up into the stands so as to wait for his next match. Upon finding his way to the top step the blonde wasn't surprised to catch a flying, violet-haired missile in his arms.

"Onii-san that was amazing; I knew you would win, but you were great!"

Naruto chuckled lightly at Isaribi's excited praise. Giving the girl one last squeeze he pulled back and, taking her scale-covered hand, began to lead her back to her seat.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the show Isa-chan, though I wish you hadn't skipped class to come watch me."

The girl being admonished turned her bright eyes down bashfully as she replied, "I know big brother it's just that I haven't been able to see you because of your missions with Anko-san, and...well, I missed you."

Isaribi worried that her Onii-san was going to scold her, and so the little girl couldn't help squeaking in surprise when she instead was hoisted up in his arms and held against his chest. Looking up sharply, the child was again shocked to see that she wasn't in trouble.

"And I missed you," Naruto reciprocated with a smile, "but I told you we would have the next seven days after this to spend together. I'm not mad, I just don't want you skipping the academy; you never know what's being taught that could very well be important."

Understanding the older boy's point, and feeling sorry she had disobeyed her guardian Isaribi's face fell into a look of true sorrow and regret. The scale-covered swimmer hated disappointing Naruto.

"You're right Onii-san, I'm sorry. I promise I won't skip again- or at least not unless there's an emergency okay?"

Deciding he could live with that the black-clad blonde voiced his agreement.

It was by this point that they pair had moved to stand among Naruto's fellow genin, and Once inside the gathered circle he noticed the questioning stares.

"What? Why are you all staring at me?"

It came to no one's surprise that Ino was the first to break out a question. "Who is she and what's with this whole 'Onii-san' business Naruto?"

Eyeing his fellow blonde Naruto decided that a partial truth would be more than sufficient. "Her name is Isaribi; she's an orphan, like myself, and I chose to take custody of her when I rescued her from a group of bullies."

"And her skin?" This came from Sakura, who had no knowledge of anyone in Konoha who had any bloodline that even remotely resembled what the young girl seemed to posses.

"With how big the world is you can't honestly sit there and tell me that we've really discovered every single kekkei genkai Sakura. And before anyone even thinks to ask, I visit the orphanage often to pass along a percentage of every mission payment I receive to help fund its upkeep; that's how I met Isa-chan."

His logical, albeit snippy, response was enough to quell anymore questions about the young girl in the blonde's arms. However this did _not_ account for the topic of the next question: Naruto's unusual level of skill.

That curiosity wasn't answered by Naruto though. Instead Anko, who had been standing nearby with her fellow Jounin, snaked her way over and while manhandled the blonde into a headlock told them that it had been due to her amazing teaching skills.

"Yep, this little shrimp was only a little garden snake before I came along. Now though? I've evolved him into a lean, mean butt kicking machine," she laughingly finished off.

It was Shikamaru who finally noticed who she was. "Hey wait, aren't you the woman who proctored the second phase of the exams? What are you doing teaching one of the genin taking it?"

Ino, who while upset she herself hadn't progressed, was still hoping to see both her team-mate and of course Sasuke advance. So hearing her fellow clan heir's words quickly got a rise from her.

"Hey he's right! That should be illegal, and the knucklehead should be disqualified!"

Surprisingly it was the two teen's own sensei that shot down their argument. "If that were really how it works than both Sasuke _and_ Shikamaru would need to be cut as well Ino; they received outside help too"

"Yeah," the pony-tailed blonde voiced her understanding, "but neither you or Kakashi-sensei were proctors in the exam, so it's different."

"How Ino?" This time it _was_ Naruto who answered. "What made my situation different; it's not like there was some way for Anko-sensei to give me any real way to cheat today. I could see if maybe it had been Asuma-sensei or Kurenai-sensei who helped me, and gave me information on how to beat either Shikamaru or Hinata, but that wasn't the case...so what's the problem?"

For her part Ino could only open and close her mouth in an effort to come up with an answer, while her team-mate was quick to see the logic in the explanation he'd been handed.

"Besides, and no offense to you Anko-sensei, the teme got personal training from one of our village's most powerful shinobi; if anyone's allowance into the exams should be questioned it's his. There's no telling just what Kakashi-sensei might have taught him in the last month."

"And unfortunately we may not even get to see it," Asuma chimed in again. "Because I can see they've finished clearing the field for the next match and, if the kid isn't here by the time Hinata and Neji are finished, he'll forfeit his match by default."

All eyes widened at this except for two; the Hyuga pair.

Neji's because he could care less what happened to Sasuke.

Hinata because, in just a few minutes, she would be facing off against her cousin in front of not only thousands of people, but her father and Naruto as well.

 _ **xXx**_

Pale, lavender orbs stared across the field at pair of eyes almost identical to themselves. The difference being that, the opposite set looked more like rigid cuts of glass than glowing pearls.

Hinata held her clan's taijutsu stance perfectly as she continued her staring contest with Neji. The proctor had signaled the beginning of their match five minutes ago but, other than them both settling in, neither Hyuga had physically made a move.

Oh sure, Neji had attempted to verbally beat down his opponent. He threw every insult he could get away with at the younger girl in an effort to humiliate her into giving up, but quickly brought that to an end when he noticed it wasn't working. So now, both fighters were at a stand still, waiting for the other to make the first move.

It was the Hyuga genius who cracked first.

Angered by his cousin's defiance, as well as refusal to submit, Neji shifted his weight before launching forward to engage Hinata in combat. He would show her why it was foolish to believe she stood any chance of defeating him.

For Hinata the look in her cousin's eyes was unsettling; his fury seemed to pulse along the very veins that marked the activation of his _Byakugan_. But that was nothing compared to the shock that came when it was time to face the older boy's speed.

Hinata knew she herself was gifted with an unusual amount of it, but Neji's level of velocity was unlike anything she'd ever seen! Other than the boy, Rock Lee, the Hyuga heiress was unaware any genin could move so fast...this caused her to blink, and _that_ caused her to experience a pain unlike any she'd ever felt.

The sheer force behind Neji's opening palm-strike was earth shattering. Upon impact its target, Hinata, was sent back just as Ten-Ten had been in the match before.

However, training with her father allowed the young girl to push aside the pain and get her brain to quit rattling fast enough that she managed to recover. Fighting the force of her launch, Hinata worked herself into a series of back flips before gracefully touching down on the tips of her toes and skidding along the arena floor.

Taking in deep breaths through her nose the Hyuga heiress winced from the bruise that quickly formed along her stomach. Thankfully there had been no chakra behind the thrust, or else Hinata knew the organ hit would have exploded on contact.

It seemed, even in his anger, Neji understood the consequences of going to far.

And yet, even without the older boy using lethal force Hinata knew that wouldn't stop her cousin from permanently ending her ninja career through other means.

Looking up at the teen in question Hinata noticed that Neji had dropped from his stance; he stood, hands at his side, with his nose in the air. He was mocking her. The heiress could see it clearly in the older boy's eyes: the Hyuga genius did not consider her a threat.

While at the start of the exams Hinata would have felt shame at this dismissal, now the girl only felt anger.

The feeling bubbled up inside her, hot like a newly active volcano. She had the worked hard to reach the finals, nearly _died_ in the process, and yet here was her cousin acting as if her accomplishment was worth nothing? Hinata'a eyes narrowed at the thought.

She would just have to show Neji what she'd learned _outside_ of training with her father.

Bringing her hands together the Hyuga heiress surprised many in the stands, as well as her opponent, by winding her fingers through a small chain of hand-signs. When she finished, all who watched were surprised when the young girl didn't produce any form of attack.

Or at least, not one that they could see. Neji, on the other hand, was more than aware of what his cousin had done.

Hinata's palms now arced with sparks of lightning.

 _'Clever, intending to send the jolts into my system via our Gentle Fist. Unfortunately for you, Lady Hinata, you'll soon find getting within range to perform such a maneuver is impossible.'_

These were the confident thoughts that made their way through Neji's mind as he watched his cousin begin to race towards him.

While not on his level, the Hyuga genius did admit that the girl's speed _was_ on par with his own female team-mate. However to Neji this was the only truly notable skill his cousin owned. Settling into a loose defensive stance the older boy readied himself to begin dodging Hinata's moves.

Only to have his eyes widen in astonishment when, instead of continuing her charge, the girl stopped short and leaped into the air, twisting over her stunned cousin, before landing and planting her palms firmly on the ground.

A second later the arena echoed with the cries of Neji's pain.

Through the screeching of the white, electric bolts Neji heard Hinata call out her attack: " _Lightning-style: Spark Trap._ "

The jutsu only lasted all of five seconds, but by the time it was over Neji felt as if he'd suffered for hours; the fact that the feeling reminded him of the seal upon his forehead only further served to agitate the festering mental and emotional wounds deep inside, scored by events from _that_ night.

His body twitching uncontrollably Neji was unprepared for his cousin when she fell upon him again, this time with swift strokes of their clan's taijutsu, and so he was only able to jerkingly respond.

Neji grit his teeth in fury. He was a genius; fate had chosen _him_ the gift of strength. And yet here was his pathetically weak cousin pushing him onto the defensive! The boy flexed every muscle he could and, using his hatred for the girl in front of him to block the pain, now began to deflect her attacks instead of simply dodging.

Hinata wasn't distracted by this though. If anything, she'd expected it, the younger girl knew the vile feelings her once gentle cousin held against her and their clan's leader, her father. There was no way he was going to make victory easy for her, and would use that hate to keep fighting long after his body wanted to stop. For Hinata that was fine; she wouldn't give up either.

 _'Not now,'_ the heiress thought as she ducked under a two-finger jab to her shoulder. _'Not when Naruto-kun and father are both watching me, seeing me. I won't lose here!'_

Using her own feelings to give her strength Hinata pushed back against her cousin's fierce counter attack. The teen's body may have been damaged from her first attack, and his power cut, but the Hyuga male was proving his title was well deserved as he showed that even at seventy percent he was more than capable of keeping up with her.

Hinata decided that just meant she had to try harder.

The girl's next move came in the form of a sweep-kick. Dropping low, the Hyuga heiress whipped her leg around in an effort to knock her cousin's feet from under him.

Instead of jump over it, like most, Neji chose instead to move back. Hinata allowed herself a smile as she finished her rotation and then pushed off with the foot that had stayed planted on the ground. Bursting with speed the young girl aimed a palm strike at her cousin's chest. When you older boy deflected it Hinata caught him off guard with a vicious headbutt to his nose.

Another shout of pain spewed from Neji's lips, mixing with the blood that flew from his now broken nose. However, this attack used up the last of the boy's patience, and he quickly retaliated with an equally brutal right-hook.

It was Hinata's turn to cry out in pain now as her mouth filled with blood from where she'd chomped down on her own cheek. Neji's flailed counter attack sent the indigo-haired heiress stumbling away, nearly tripping over her own feet. With her head fuzzy, it was only through the activation of her dojutsu that Hinata managed to avoid the next attack that soon followed the first.

Ducking under the open handed blow meant for her own nose, Hinata let her left hand fly in an attempt to give her cousin a matching bruise on his own stomach.

When the boy managed to spin away though Hinata dropped to all fours so she'd avoid a hit to her blind-spot, and threw her legs back to try and take out her cousin's knees. This proved to be a mistake, as almost immediately Neji revealed his attack to be a feint as he reached out and took hold of his cousin's ankles.

Before she could think to free herself Neji showed his strength by heaving his cousin into the air, and then slamming her back into the earth.

What nobody but Hinata realized was that the boy had actually done so much more than that.

Crumpled in the dirt the Hyuga heiress silently berated herself for falling into such a trap. Because now, because of her shortsightedness, Hinata found herself unable to control her legs.

Her cousin had disrupted the chakra flow in her legs.

In a fit of desperation and an effort to bide for time Hinata pulled a handful of shuriken from her hip pouch and sent them whizzing through the air in her approaching opponent's direction. Neji was forced to jump aside due to his closer proximity, and so Hinata used that time to push up onto shaky legs.

Thankful that it had only been a momentary disruption, and that Neji hadn't had time to fully close any of her tenketsu, Hinata took several jumps back so as to widen the distance between herself and the Hyuga genius.

But Neji saw this for what it was and wasn't willing to give the girl even a moment of respite.

Using his extreme levels of speed the older boy, even in his weakened condition, managed to close the gap between himself and his prey with ease before swiftly laying into her with a fast-paced _Gentle Fist_ assault.

Hinata did her best to defend while trying not to engage her legs, but found the feat easier said than done. In her mind her thoughts screamed for her to lash out with kicks and sweeps, but logic forced its way through and told her that doing so would only unbalance her and leave large openings for Neji to actually shut down her chakra. Then she'd _really_ be in trouble.

So, with her breath coming in gasps, Hiashi's daughter weaved and slid her torso around each of her hateful foe's onslaught of jabs and palm-strikes.

Until, finally, the muscles in her legs jolted and she swung her right leg around in a ferocious roundhouse-kick. The speed of the attack, coupled with the surprise factor, allowed Hinata to force Neji into blocking it with his forearms.

And while strength wasn't the petite kunoichi's greatest attribute the simple fact that her opponent hadn't expected the move afforded Hinata the chance make Neji stumble.

However instead of pressing her attack, the female Hyuga chose that moment to put distance between herself and her fellow clan member.

 _ **xXx**_

Up in the stands many of the spectators were confused by what they'd just seen; why hadn't Hinata continued her counter strike?

To find the answer, the more observant minds turned to the girl's Jounin instructor.

"What kind of technique did you teach her?" Anko asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kurenai merely smiled proudly and gave an off-handed shrug. "A little of this, a little of that, maybe a couple of genjutsu for good measure. You know me Anko; I like my students to be well rounded."

The Speacial-Jounin smirked playfully at her female friend and sucked her teeth. "Tch, I think someone's a little too high up on her horse; you don't really think your girl's got a chance to win do ya? I mean, I heard this Neji kid's pretty good."

"If she continues like she has I'd say it's more than a chance," the ruby-eyed beauty countered.

Anko wanted to retort, she really did, but was interrupted by a chuckle from Asuma. Turning her eyes onto the bearded young Sarutobi she asked, "What's so funny Smokey?"

"Oh you'd be laughing too if you'd seen what hand-signs she'd just used. Look."

And so she did...and Anko laughed too.

The Land of Fire truly deserved its name.

 _ **xXx**_

" _Fire-style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!_ "

During her training outside the compound with Kurenai the very first act of the girl's training had been to learn her elemental affinities. The genjutsu mistress had stressed that Hinata learn techniques she could use from a distance, as there would be times she either wouldn't be able to get up close, like her fight with Zaku, or she'd need to keep someone away like with Neji.

When introduced to the chakra paper both women were surprised to find that, while the Hyuga heiress had the usual connection to fire she _also_ had one with lightening. A rare occurrence in their homeland.

After that first day Hinata and her Jounin instructor worked to round out the younger girl's rigidly trained skill set; working to include a handful of lower-rank jutsu that required only minimal amounts of chakra, as well as a number of genjutsu that could be performed without straining what reserves she'd have left. Besides that the two kunoichi brainstormed ways to combine the techniques into useful strategies, and by the end of the month both women felt confident in Hinata's ability to defeat her cousin.

Watching the fist-sized balls of fire sail through the open air towards Neji Hinata hoped she'd bought a moment to think on what her next move should be.

Her mind working fiercely, all the Hyuga girl's thoughts ground to a halt when her _Byakugan_ registered something unbelievable: Neji performing the _kaiten_!

Both heiress and clan Head had to fight their own reaction of dropping their jaws to the floor as they watched a member of the lower house perform such an advanced technique. For Hiashi it was like a slap in the face,to see someone not of the Main branch using the Hyuga's ultimate defense,while for his daughter it showed that there truly were those within her own family that wished to see her fail; as only a Main branch member could have taught Neji that move.

By the time her cousin had stopped spinning Hinata realized her own mistake and once again berated herself for letting Neji get ahead of her; she was supposed to use that time to mold chakra for a genjutsu.

Knowing what another jutsu like that would do to her reserves Hinata decided it was better to work with what she had, and instead be thankful that it had at least drawn out her opponent's trump card, and gotten her back into position to spring her trap.

For Neji it was like the worlds' worst insult to his skills that the match had progressed the way that it had, and even worse that he had been forced into using his secret weapon so soon. Elder Shu would not be pleased. Staring down his smaller cousin Neji growled low in his throat; all pretense of being the cool and collected warrior gone.

It was time to end the match.

Knowing he had more energy left than his cousin, it being the main reason he himself didn't use ninjutsu, Neji decided that there was no point in trying to conserve now.

Recalling the basic methods of chakra enhancement that came from the tree and water-walking exercises Neji channeled the flow of his own into the muscles in his legs before dropping into a runner's pose, and then shooting forward like a comet.

Hinata didn't stand a chance.

Before the girl could blink Neji was on her. In a blurring visage of speed the Hyuga warrior sent finger jabs and palm-strikes into every one of his cousin's loose defensive stance. It was only seconds before he'd shut down every tenketsu and left Hinata with nothing; the young kunoichi was quickly made helpless.

But Neji didn't stop there.

Whenever Hinata attempted any sort of defense her opponent used that as an excuse to release even more of his inner hatred. If a hand came up, the arm it was attached to was twisted behind her back and quickly broken. Whenever the girl tried to duck or dodge away the attack was turned into a spot-on feint and her head was knocked around by a swift follow-up. By the time Neji was through, and sent Hinata flying back with a final palm-strike, many onlookers feared for the knowingly delicate girl's ability to handle such treatment.

From her place on the ground Hinata wheezed out short, raspy breaths as she struggled to lift her battered form.

Neji had used more than just the _Gentle Fist_. The Hyuga heiress could feel that some of her ribs had indeed been broken by blunt elbow strikes, while her normally cute button nose was now swollen and crooked from being broken. Aside from that, and her broken arms that begged to be left alone, Hinata counted that the only real damage was her entire body slowly turning black and blue.

And for her, that was good enough.

With her dojutsu still active Hinata could see her bones, could see where and how they'd been broken. So biting down on the shoulder of her heavy jacket the girl proceeded to shove her bones back into place.

Tears welled in her eyes, but the girl refused to let them fall. There would be time fore that later.

Once it was over though Hinata went on to do the same thing with her nose; the sharp, gross realignment of bone sending shudders through all non shinobi in the arena. Knowing there was nothing she could do about her ribs without proper medical jutsu though, Hinata let herself fall back into her taijutsu stance and stare into the disbelieving eyes of her cousin.

"I hope that wasn't all you had Neji; because if it is, I suggest you quit."

For the young teen in question the taunt only made him angrier. Who did this pampered weakling think she was talking to!? Flooding his legs with chakra, and sending it to the bottoms of his feet, Neji prepared to launch into another fearsome display of power...until the ground beneath him exploded.

Hinata had quickly brought her hands together and flashed a single seal: release.

To many of the audience this was confusing, but those who had payed attention during the beginning of the match only smiled as they watched Hinata's plan unfold.

Her first jutsu had been a distraction; she'd laid a high-level explosive tag in the dirt. Now, with them back to where they'd started and Neji having flared his chakra, the seal was charged and had been set off. The result? All eyes watched as the Hyuga genius was literally blown sky high before he came back down for a painful landing.

 _ **xXx**_

"That was pretty impressive."

The praise came from Naruto's own mouth as he watched the match below, Isaribi cuddled against his chest.

"What did she do?" Questioned Sakura. "I-I've never heard of a jutsu like that one before."

Shikamaru eyed the pinkette from his peripheral vision. "Because it wasn't a jutsu Sakura; Hinata set a trap for Neji during the first few minutes of the battle...something I'm _sure_ she picked up from you Naruto."

"And if she did?" The blonde in question had a single eyebrow raised, as if to ask: did the move not work?

Sighing in resignation Shikamaru relented and said, "What a drag; we don't need two of you running around Naruto; one knucklehead is enough."

"I still don't get it Shika," Ino interrupted the boys. "What trap did Hinata set up, and when did she do it?"

"During the time she electrocuted her cousin," Naruto answered for the lazy Nara. "Her lightning jutsu was a two-pronged attack. First, it weakened Neji on a physical level, bringing him down enough that Hinata could keep up, and second she buried an explosive note into the ground that would set off when it interacted with a burst of chakra."

Ino and the others who hadn't figured out what had happened couldn't help being amazed. The plan, while ultimately simple, was still brilliant.

"The explosion wasn't predetermined either," Shino threw in. The Aburame was proud of his team-mate and wished to further boast her ingenious plot. "Hinata deliberately left the note uncharged because she wanted it to react instantly when hit with chakra; thus allowing for the large explosion. Neji attempted to push an enormous level of power into his lower-body and instead powered the seal under his feet."

"And now the guy's even more banged up because of it," finished Naruto.

Sakura and her blonde seat-mate understood now what had happened and could only look on in wonder as they realized the same thing: the winner would be whoever could withstand their injuries the longest.

 _ **xXx**_

Back in the stadium both Hyuga members glared at the other. Neji had managed to summon the strength needed to stand on his shredded, blood-covered legs while Hinata hunched to alleviate the pain in her broken ribs.

Both knew that this was it.

Once they started, it would only end when one of them was passed out on the ground or too broken to continue. Neji had the chakra to go on for hours, but his body was thrashed, while Hinata's body was in better shape but she herself had very little energy left.

 _'This is it,'_ they both thought, _'it all ends here!'_

Pushing off both Hyuga rushed to engage their opponent. Hinata struck first. The struggling kunoichi threw a palm-strike out in and effort to end the match quickly, but missed her mark when Neji swerved out of the way.

Dodging his cousin's attack cost the battered genius though, and his quick movement caused Neji to stumble over his own feet. Fighting to stay on his feet the young shinobi peddled backwards, giving him the added bonus of putting distance between Hinata and himself.

Even with her _Byakugan_ the Hyuga heiress found that her vision had begun to blur; a sure sign of exhaustion, both of the physical and chakra variety. But, refusing to quit, Hinata chose instead to turn her dojutsu off to conserve her rapidly draining energy supply before balling up her small fists and rushing back in to face her cousin.

From there the battle devolved more into a brawl.

Neji still had the energy to put into using his _Gentle Fist_ so he opted for it whenever possible; some moves being beyond his current physical condition. The labeled genius managed to duck or out-step more than most of Hinata's flailing fists, but found himself hard pressed to mount any real offense.

And yet it seemed, in the end, that such a thing would not be needed.

Hinata tried. The girl gave everything she had left to throw in a last ditch effort to slug her cousin in the face, only to over reach and stumble as she lost her center. With no energy to catch herself, and gravity working against her, the young heiress dropped like a puppet without strings. Clattering to the ground in a beaten heap Hinata chocked on dust as she gasped for air.

Standing over her, Neji looked down at his defeated cousin with contempt. "For all that fire you had in your eyes, and all your training, you continue to forget that our battle was already predetermined. Fate had long ago decided that I would be victorious today while you, cousin, would fall in defeat...you _lose_."

Hinata wanted to fight, wanted to stand up and prove that Neji's words weren't true. But she just didn't have the strength. Her body ached as if she'd been beaten by a bat, and her eyelids hung heavy as the girl fought to even stay conscious. It broke the young heiress' heart, but there was no denying it.

She'd lost.

And even with the knowledge that her father and the one she loved could see it, the simple fact that she'd failed in front of those azure eyes made Hinata Hyuga cry.

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: I think the reason I've manged to finish these two so fast is because I've been visiting my mom and the change in atmosphere is just giving my mind a reboot.**_

 _ **Anyway, there's the next match. Yes, Hinata lost. Some of you may be surprised, but I feel that in the grand scheme of characterization this moment has to happen. And also because I wholeheartedly feel that Hinata didn't physically stand a chance against her superior clan member.**_

 _ **I tried to make this one interesting , instead of just a bunch of taijutsu strikes, by showcasing Hinata as a more tactical individual; such as weakening a stronger opponent to give herself a fighting chance. So I'd like to know how I did. Many may think it strange that she performed the type of jutsu she did, but, I looked it up and Hiata actually does have an affinity to lightning; the technique was made up, and I think would serve as D-rank jutsu if not possibly a C-rank. She also had an affinity for fire, so I had her learn the Phoenix Flower; a C-rank technique I feel would be common among a land of mostly fire aligned shinobi.**_

 _ **In case anyone is wondering, yes, the invasion will be taking place. It may seem odd that I'm letting characters get beaten to a bloody pulp with such an impending doom on the horizon but it's just part of how things are meant to go. Not everyone gets to shine all the time, and this means that some times those that aren't in the spotlight will be pushed to the back after their own moment in the sun.**_

 _ **Besides, none of them really know the attack is coming, so they have no reason to hold back in a tournament they've been told will decide if they become chunin or not.**_

 _ **I guess my last order of business this chapter is to pose a question for all those who enjoy this story:**_

 _ **Should I break it into parts?**_

 _ **It was my original idea, but lately I've been tossing the idea around wondering if that's really the best course. So instead I guess I'll ask you all; should I? If I did, then this first part would end like Naruto does with him leaving the village for training...whether or not it's with Jiraiya though remians to be decided actually. From there it would break into a part 2 that ends with the defeat of Pain, and go on to a part three that would probably be an original continuation that would finish with an epilogue.**_

 _ **What do you all think? And, along with those thoughts, I wanna know if people want me to include Madara and/or obito in the story?**_

 _ **Please let me know your thoughts, or feel free to ask me any questions through review or a PM.**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: I make a change to something I introduced earlier in the story this chapter. If you wish to read the note at the bottom first, you're welcome to, otherwise I hope you are satisfied with my decision.**_

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 _ **Ch. 20- On time or out the door; Sasuke disqualified!?**_

 _ **Xxx**_

Neji's eyes watched for a moment as medic-ninja hauled his battered cousin away on a gurney. He looked on for a few seconds before turning his gaze upwards toward the stands. Finding his target, the Hyuga male locked eyes with an older, sharper pair of lavender orbs.

Hiashi Hyuga was looking down at him with a blank stare.

And yet, for all the stern and steel that the Hyuga patriarch possessed, Neji was able to see the signs that told him there would be terrible punishment awaiting him at home. Years of living under the same roof with another person did wonders for one's powers of observation; especially when you had to actively search for emotional tells.

But despite knowing these things the thrashed young man felt no fear as he finally broke eye contact with his uncle; Genma shooing him away to clear the field for the next match. No, instead the prodigious warrior found that his mind was instead centering on the older man's daughter.

Or more specifically, the _loss_ he'd almost suffered at her hands.

Because while it would be nice to say that he'd had everything under control, and that everything that went on had all been part of a predestined cat and mouse game that fated Neji as the winner, a small part of Neji found itself doubting such a belief.

And how could it not when, for a moment, no matter how short it was, Neji Hyuga truly felt as if he might lose?

But then that couldn't be true, could it? He, Neji Hyuga, prodigy and _genius_ of the Hyuga clan, could never be defeated by self-pitying heiress...could he?

 _ **Xxx**_

Naruto watched as Squad 8's Jounin instructor hurriedly exited the stands with Shino following close behind. Seeing this made the blonde smile with the knowledge that Hinata had people who cared about her well-being. Especially when he could see, from the corner of his eye, that none of the Hyuga sitting in their special box so much as twitched while watching their clan member get wheeled away.

However, thinking of Shino's departure made Naruto voice a question asking for Kiba's whereabouts.

"I couldn't tell ya," Choji answered. "He usually joins me and Shika for lunch when we're all still in the village, but after what happened with Akamaru neither of us have seen him."

This was the response he got from the other genin that surrounded him as well. And that fact worried him. Naruto could easily recall the unbridled, animalistic rage that Kiba had fallen into after his partner's death and could only hope that, wherever the Inuzuka was he wasn't thinking of doing anything drastic.

The blonde's thoughts were halted though when Rock Lee, who was just now hobbling up the steps, voiced a question of his own.

"Since it seems the topic of discussion is wayward team-mates I must ask you, Naruto-san, where is yours?"

Drawing attention to the Uchiha's absence made Naruto realize that two of the first round matches had come and gone...meaning Sasuke's was next! Turning his eyes on the crutch-bearing taijutsu user the black-clad blonde answered that he didn't know.

"The teme took off with Kakashi-sensei almost immediately after the preliminary rounds; stopping only for a minute to get checked over by a nurse. After that, I have no clue what happened to him." Here Naruto let his eyes drift over to Sakura, "Once thing I am sure of though is, if he's not here soon he'll be disqualified."

Not surprisingly it was Ino who spoke up in the boys defense.

"They wouldn't do that," she she barked. "Who do you think all these people came to see? Certainly not Shikamaru or those losers from Suna."

"I'd be careful who you're calling 'loser', little girl, _especially_ when you yourself didn't even make it to the finals."

The voice belonged to Temari; eldest of the Suna Siblings. The fan-wielding beauty sent a sneer in her fellow blonde's direction before continuing. "And besides, it's like I told you girls before, just because his last name is famous or his eyes see better than others doesn't make him any more important than the Streak over here."

All eyes turned in the direction Temari had pointed her thumb, and were surprised to find it jabbed in Naruto's direction.

Naruto himself asked the question that was on their minds, "The 'Streak'?"

Frost-green eyes crinkled as their owner gave a playful smirk. Temari placed a hand on her cocked hip and replied, "That's what Baki, my Jounin instructor, was calling you to my father when he arrived last night. It seems your speed impressed him."

"Oh?" Naruto raised a single eyebrow in response. "And what exactly do you think about the name..."

"Temari," the sandy-blonde finished the lead Naruto had left. "And _I'm_ curious to know what business is it of yours what I think about it?"

A playful smirk slid its way onto Naruto's face. "I only ask because, for you to have heard the name you would need to eavesdrop on that particular conversation; which begs the question what about _me_ is so interesting to _you_?"

Many eyes watched the battle of words, but few could believe what they were seeing. For those who knew, and had spent time with Naruto found it hard to accept, while those who'd only heard of him watched in fascination.

Naruto Uzumaki looked like he was flirting.

And from the pink glow that now highlighted Subaku no Temari's tan cheeks, it seemed he was succeeding!

However Temari would not be unbalanced so easily. Taking a a few steps forward, in an effort to use her superior height to wrack the boy's nerves, she answered, "Well how else was I gonna know if you were really worth my time?"

Teal met blue as neither Naruto or Temari let themselves back down. For the Leaf shinobi it was a matter of fun; he'd never had such an experience before and it was doing something to his pulse that he liked. For the Sand kunoichi it was a test; to see if the boy in front of her could be what she was looking for, as none of the one's at home ever peeked her interest.

No, neither one would let themselves back down. But someone else had another idea.

"Hey! Don't give my big brother that look lady, he'll knock you into next week if you even think about fighting him." Isaribi's shout at such close range jolted both blonde's from their staring contest.

Temari leaned back, blinking when she realized just how close she'd gotten, before looking down her nose at the little girl she finally noticed was in Naruto's arms. "Big brother? Fight him? Oh you don't have to worry about that kid; I don't know if I have it in me to mar your Onii-san's handsome face."

Laughter rumbled in Naruto's chest as he watched Isa-chan stick her tongue out in response to that remark. But then the sandy-blonde's words worked their way to his brain, and the sword-wielding Uzumaki let another grin find its way to his face.

"Just as your big brother doesn't think he'd be capable of ruining such a beautiful dessert flower with such a barbaric activity, Isa-chan." Then, turning his attention back to the older girl in front of him Naruto went on to say, "But I _would_ like to get to know that flower a little better...if she's interested?"

Every pair of eyes that was watching nearly shot from their sockets. Had they really just seen that? Naruto Uzumaki, resident head of Sakura Haruno's fan club for the last four _years_ , had just asked another girl on a date!?

There was only one thing any of them were thinking at the moment: it was a good thing Hinata wasn't there to see it.

On her end Temari was caught a little off guard. In truth, she hadn't expected the boy to push so far this fast. Because while the Suna kunoichi knew she'd like to at least go on one date with him, the sandy-blonde also understood that that wasn't a real possibility.

Because any minute now her father would give the signal, and Temari would become part of an invasion force designed to destroy Konoha. A force that could very well kill the boy in front of her.

And yet, despite this, Temari found her lips moving before she could stop herself.

"I'd like that, _Naruto-kun._ "

 _ **xXx**_

 _'The crowd is getting restless,'_ thought Sarutobi. The elderly Hokage looked out over the thousands of faces that filled his village's stadium and could clearly see, despite his age, that each and every one of them was upset.

As well they should be though, since the last time they'd seen anything exciting was ten minutes ago.

Neji and Hinata's match had been well and over with, and since there was nothing to clean up Genma announced the next match immediately after both fighters had left the arena. It was understandable; even more so when one considered the amazing battles that had just taken place, and the hype that had been whispered about the strength of Sasuke Uchiha.

So when the young man in question's match arrived, and he was nowhere to be found, many onlookers quickly became unsettled.

It had been ten minutes since the match was called. Where was Sasuke?

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in exasperation; he was afraid this would happen. Kakashi had allowed his tardiness rear its head at the worst possible time and, in doing so, now put the Sandaime in a terrible position.

He would have to disqualify the Uchiha heir.

The Kazekage had spoken up within the first few minutes of the wait, when Hiruzen was originally going to voice his decision, and convinced his fellow village leader to stave off such a declaration for a few more minutes.

"Look at all of those people out there Sarutobi, think of how far they've traveled, and all for the chance to see young Sasuke in action against my son. Why deprive them of that?"

At first the Sarutobi clan's leader was in a begrudging agreement. He had had numerous Anbu relay the various whispers of excitement around the village, all centered on Sasuke. And it had been that memory that kept the old man from dismissing his fellow Kage's plea...but this was just ridiculous!

After all, what kind of message did this send to prospective clients? Who would hire Leaf shinobi if they had to worry about their help arriving too late? The village could not afford such a reputation. Especially with their Daiymo present.

No, there was only one thing to do.

 _ **Xxx**_

Sakura Haruno couldn't believe her ears.

Sasuke was...disqualified?

There was no way. It had to be a mistake. The Hokage wouldn't really do that, would he? Not after everything Sasuke went through, and all the training he no doubt underwent in order to prepare for this day. Sasuke couldn't be disqualified; he just couldn't!

And yet, as she listened to the proctor down below call for the next two participants, the pinkette was numbly forced to face the truth. Her Sasuke-kun had been cut from the tournament.

"W-What just—why did he do that? Why did the Hokage disqualify Sasuke-kun you guys?"

Looking around Sakura could see that, while Ino was in a similar state of shock, the rest of the rookies that stood around her just seemed to shrug off the fact one of their own had been deprived the chance to obtain the rank of chunin. Even Naruto remained silent.

And that angered her.

Eyebrows knitting together Sakura jumped from her seat and swiftly stepped in front of her blonde team-mate. With arms flinging, she asked why he wasn't upset like her.

"Because the Hokage made the right decision Sakura; everyone, including Naruto, knows that."

The answer came from Lee. The boy with the large eyebrows hobbled over on his crutches, body still tender from opening so many Gates, and further explained why her raven-haired love interest had been let go.

"For the Hokage to wait any longer, and even then waiting beyond perhaps a minute, could be seen as favoritism. That is something a Kage can not allow. To do so would damage, not only his/her own reputation but also the village's as a whole."

When it looked like Sakura was going to argue it was Asuma who spoke up next; the Jounin present all having listened in.

"As troublesome as you may find it Sakura, Lee is right. And it's not only the dangers of favoritism that Lord Hokage has to worry about; there's also the business aspect as well. What client is going to send missions to a village that they think won't respond to them in a swift fashion? Like Lee just said, already waiting longer than a minute was bad enough, but _ten_? "

"This tournament has been marked on people's calender's for weeks Sakura," Naruto finally chimed in. However as he answered his eyes were on the arena, watching Shikamaru attempt to defeat Temari.

"With that being the case, and everybody knowing the time it started, what excuse could Sasuke possibly give for not being here? If this had been a mission, like the one we took months ago to Wave, I don't think the people needing Sasuke's help would be satisfied with 'Sorry, I got lost on the road of life'."

"But Sasuke-kun is—" Sakura tried to defend her other male team-mate, only to be cut off by a cold, sharp voice.

"A coward."

Gaara's presence sent chills down the spines of many who saw him. Naruto was forced to tighten his hold on Isaribi as she curled closer to him in fear.

Ino, who had the unfortunate pleasure of being still being seated, found herself less than two feet away from the frightening red-head. The platinum-blonde could feel her palms sweat, and her legs turn to jelly as she croaked out, "H-How c-can you s-say that?"

Ino thanked every god she knew when Gaara answered her without looking in her direction.

"Because that's what he is. The Uchiha knew I was to be his opponent today, and so he refused to show up. That makes him a coward...and not worth my time."

The chill that frosted over Gaara's words kept even Sakura's usual defensive rant silent. Sea-green eyes blinked once before turning to look at Naruto. Gaara's posture straightened just so, his shoulders shifting, before he hissed at the blonde.

"But _you_ , Naruto Uzumaki, I can feel the power that leaks free. Killing you is sure to prove my existence."

It seemed that was all the red-head wanted to say because almost immediately after Gaara turned and walked away. Yet, even with his departure, all those he left behind could still feel the goosebumps raised against their skin.

There was something not right about Sabaku no Gaara.

Isaribi shook in fright; the boy with the gourd terrified her. Instinct dictated she find comfort in who she saw as the strongest. Turning her teary eyes upward, the trembling academy student whimpered to draw her big brother's attention.

When those caring blue eyes were on her Isaribi managed to squeak out, "O-Onii-san you'll b-beat him right? Y-You won't leave me alone, will you?"

Naruto immediately set to comforting the little child in his arms. Holding her as close as possible, the blonde ducked Isaribi's head under his chin before he slowly started to rock her. "Of course I'll beat him Isa-chan, I promised you I'd never let you feel that loneliness again, and you know your Onii-san never goes back on his word."

"Let's just hope this time you haven't bitten off more than you can chew."

The voice was one that Naruto hadn't expected to hear. Turning his eyes, keeping his head still, the blonde locked into a stare down with Shikamaru.

Looking over the svelte older boy Naruto saw that the Nara heir was covered in scrapes, while his over-shirt had been lost in his match with Temari. Finishing the signs of battle off was a healthy coat of dust and dirt.

"So," the cloaked genin drolled out, "you gave up didn't you."

It wasn't a question; Naruto knew that Shikamaru wasn't interested in winning the tournament. So when the pineapple-headed shinobi shrugged, the blonde couldn't help scoffing out a laugh.

"Which means you're up next," Sakura lightened up. The pinkette had recovered from the previous encounter with Gaara and was eager to get her mind focused on something else. "And with how battered Neji is from his fight with Hinata there's no way you'll lose."

And he didn't...because Neji wound up forfeiting.

This surprised all who knew the cocky Hyuga, but what they didn't know was that Neji had used the whole of Shikamaru's match with Temari to think on how to handle Naruto.

The young prodigy quickly came to the conclusion that, in his current condition, there was no way he could defeat Naruto Uzumaki. Neji's cold, calculating stare had kept the blonde in their sights and took in how the cloak-covered genin stood. What the older boy found cemented hid decision.

As a member of the Hyuga clan Neji had an innate ability to read the body language of any one individual. It was with this power of observation that let Neji know Naruto had yet to use even _half_ of his strength. The blonde wasn't even breathing hard.

After witnessing the amount of skill the younger genin possessed without being pushed, Neji was able to come to a rough estimate of Naruto Uzumaki's true strength. One-on-one, both at one-hundred percent, Neji believed he had a chance to win. But as it stood, with him standing on tattered legs and a debilitating concussion, the Hyuga genius knew he stood no chance.

"Proctor," he called out form his place in the stands, "I choose to forfeit."

Far better to concede looking smart than lose in a humiliating beat down.

A trending thought it seems, because Temari was quick to voice her own removal from the tournament after that. Her opponent having been her younger brother.

All eyes popped when they realized what this meant: Naruto was now left to face Gaara.

 _'I'd anticipated this end,'_ Naruto thought begrudgingly, _'I just didn't expect it to be so soon.'_

Apparently this was the right move for the crowd, because when the blonde kissed her cheek and set Isaribi down, and started to descend the stairs, he was followed by thunderous applause. The whole time Naruto kept his eyes locked on Gaara who had _shunshined_ into the field via a whirlwind of sand.

Moving to the center of the battleground Naruto stood only a handful of feet away from someone he knew would kill him if given the chance. There would be no warm up, there would be no breaks. Naruto steeled his nerve before nodding to Genma that he was ready.

"Then let the final match of the chunin exams begin!"

Before the Special-Jounin could move out of the way though two things happened.

First: Naruto beat the man to the punch and shot back five yards.

Second: Kakashi and the missing Sasuke appeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

The entire stadium had been supercharged by the explosive way Naruto had reacted, moving faster than a veteran shinobi, so when their exciting spectacle was ground to a halt many of them took to voicing their displeasure. Something that came as a surprise to an incredulous looking Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Hey, get out of the way!"

"We wanna see some action, get off the field!"

"You had your chance kid, now move!"

But what really shook the pair was when a female voice, one that Ino and Sakura recognized as Ami, shouted: "You're old news Uchiha! Now you and the scarecrow get your butts off the field so Naruto can cream this guy!"

For those that new the girl couldn't believe their ears. She had been one of Sasuke's biggest followers back in the academy, vehemently defending the Uchiha's name against every type of slander. So for the kunoichi wash out to now dismiss Sasuke with that same enthusiasm, while simultaneously uplifting Naruto, caused many of their jaws to drop.

When Kakashi finally managed to snap himself out of his stupor the elite Jounin turned his lone eye up in the direction of the Kage box. With a look of confusion he asked, "Hokage-sama, what's going on? I thought Gaara was to be Sasuke's opponent..."

"He was," Genma answered for the elderly shinobi. "But when your student wasn't present at the time of his match Lord Hokage had him disqualified."

Hearing this got a look of disbelief from the Uchiha in question. That look soon morphed into a scowl as he eyed his Jounin instructor. "You said that they would push my match back if I wasn't on time Kakashi; it's the only reason I let you talk me into resting after our spar."

"I-I assumed they would Sasuke," was the man's muttered reply.

"We will be speaking in my office once the exams are over you two," the Sandaime called down from his seat. "This behavior is unacceptable, and I wont have it repeated. But for now you'll need to remove yourselves from the field, as Naruto and the Kazekage's son are due to round out the tournament."

With the dismissal of the Hokage both Kakashi and an irate Sasuke began the walk towards the staircase. The Uchiha heir desperately wanted to argue, but knew better than to do so in front of so many people. Making demands, out loud or even veiled, would not be tolerated by any shinobi no matter what name they carried.

Once the two made their exit Genma signaled for the match to resume.

 _ **xXx**_

Up in his seat Orochimaru was not a happy man. After that fool Kakashi sealed the curse mark he'd placed on Sasuke the Sannin was eager to see how well the boy fared without the added power.

He'd seen it before, back during the preliminary rounds, and could barely contain himself at such a delicious outcome; the inverted _Sharingan_. Never in his wildest dreams had Orochimaru expected his personal seal to be able to amplify the already tumultuous power of the Uchiha clan's bloodline.

Watching the power explode from Sasuke had sent shivers down his spine. With the curse marks' power being routed to the boy's eyes, there was none of the messy chakra expulsion that accompanied its use by the Sound Four. No, in fact, Orochimaru watched as even his old sensei had been unable to detect the vile ink that coursed through the last Uchiha's veins when he faced the Inuzuka boy.

But the snake Sannin knew, and it pleased him greatly. Enough that he didn't even worry about Kakashi's laughable attempt to interfere with his plan.

Since then Orochimaru imagined what sort of explosion would occur when Sasuke willingly chose to activate his now repressed seal. The rouge ninja could see in his minds eye how the raw, unrestrained power would visibly flare from Sasuke's _Sharingan_ , and licked his lips in pure _hunger_ at just how it would feel to bare witness to the Uchiha's further descent into darkness.

It was why he had so eagerly desired the chance for the _jinchuuriki_ of Suna to be the boy's opponent, so as to force Sasuke to use his power, but now it seems Orochimaru would have to wait.

And even with the invasion set to begin soon, needing only word from his summon team from beyond the walls, Orochimaru was _not_ a patient man. The Sannin _hated_ waiting.

Anger was the minority emotion at the moment, as aside from the disguised Orochimaru, the only other person feeling it was Sasuke. The young clan heir strode over to his fellow genin with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched.

There was no denying where the boy would rather be at the moment.

It was as he and his instructor got closer that Sakura decided she would be the first to greet them. Or rather, to chastise Kakashi for his foolishness.

"Kakashi-sensei what in the world were you thinking? What made you believe that letting Sasuke-kun be late for his was okay?"

Asuma followed the girl's lead. "Your student beat me to it, but I'm curious myself Kakashi, did you really think dad was just gonna let the kid slide?"

Scratching his neck in embarrassment, the Jounin in question gave his response. "Honestly, yes. I figured with everything I was hearing around the village that everyone wanted to watch Sasuke showcase his abilities. And to me, that just translated to them willing to wait until he was ready to fight."

"But they weren't," Sasuke growled. "And now I've lost my chance to become a chunin."

In an attempt to settle her crush's obviously boiling temper Sakura got up from her seat and, walking over to him, softly placed her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright Sasuke-kun, this isn't the only way to be promoted, you'll still have your chance."

"What are you talking about Sakura; what other way is there besides the exams?"

Smiling softly at the raven-haired boy's confusion Sakura offered a reply. "It's something called in in-field promotion. Genin can be promoted to chunin through their performance on a mission, the same thing can be done to become a Jounin, but _that_ usually only happens during times of war."

"And just how do you know about this?" The Uchiha's question came with an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Sakura dropped her hand from its perch and looked down sheepishly. "Well, I know I didn't do so well in the exams, and I was worried about being stuck as a genin until the next year, so I did some research during the month you and Naruto were training."

With a sense of hope welling in his stomach Sasuke turned to look at the Jounin present and asked if what Sakura said was true.

"More or less," answered Asuma. "Besides, most village's ranks are swelled with chunin. If the only way to be promoted was through some series of bi-annual tests we'd be stuck with hundreds of genin."

"Our ranks are filled with chunin?" Ino questioned from her seat.

"Duh Ino," Shikamaru told her. "What, did you think everyone waling around with a flak jacket was a Jounin?"

The platinum-blonde's eyes blazed with feminine fury, "And what if I did you lazy buffoon!?"

"Then it means our academy needs a reboot," snorted Anko as she entered the conversation. Beside her both Kurenai and Shino walked onto the scene.

The trio had gone to check on Hinata after her defeat at Neji's hands; Anko leaving later to support her friend. After learning from the medics that the Hyuga heiress' condition was non life-threatening they made their way back up to the stands, and walked in on the current conversation.

"For the past few years each major ninja village has been made up of roughly fifteen-hundred, to two-thousand shinobi; Konoha holding the largest at twenty-five-hundred and Suna the lowest at a little less than a thousand. Of those numbers, only a small handful are Jounin, the reason being because of the immense level of skill and sheer power required as well as leadership capability. The rest of the force is made up primarily of chunin, and the last percentage being genin."

"What about the Anbu?" This question came from Sakura.

Kakashi took over from Anko at this point. "The Anbu make up a _very_ small number of the ninja inside a village; their own numbers not usually exceeding two handfuls, or roughly twenty shinobi. However these men and women are not counted among the roster, as it is based on war-time account. The Anbu are never put on the front lines."

"How come," Ino asked. "If the Anbu are meant to be the most skilled ninja in a village, under its Kage, why wouldn't they be used in war?"

Kurenai shook her head as she picked up the lesson. "It's not that they're never used Ino, just the opposite actually. Anbu are used heavily in times of war, The difference between them and us being, their assignments are restricted to assassination and sabotage. Very rarely would you see Anbu in open combat, as their skills are needed for more pressing missions."

The genin all listened in rapt attention...at least until Anko's loud voice drew them away.

"How come nobody came and told me my kid was up next!? And he's going up against that freaky Sand kid? This is gonna be great!"

The woman's excitement seemed to leak from her every pore as she leaned over the railing for a better look at the battlefield. Her eager exclamation snapped the rest of the group back into real time, as they all remembered that there was still one more match to watch.

 _ **xXx**_

Down below Naruto eyed his opponent wearily. The red-head hadn't moved a muscle since the start of the match, while Naruto himself had settled into a strong defensive stance. Forgoing his heavy zanbato at the moment the blonde instead tried to come up with a way to get past the shield of sand he knew would spring up if he got too close.

 _'Well, there is one thing I could try,'_ Naruto thought before he brought forth his hands to forge a hand-sign.

Only to stop so he could catch the cork that rocketed towards his face.

Azure eyes watched as sand slowly snaked its way out of the gourd on Gaara's back. The earthly particles rose into the air and formed a cloud...before a volley of sand needles burst forth and raced through the air: their target being Naruto.

The blonde swordsman jumped to the side so as to avoid being skeward, all the while keeping his eyes on his opponent.

This proved to be the right move because, as soon as his feet had left the ground, a fist of earth burst out of the ground and tried to smash the cloak-covered genin. Nimbly, Naruto twisted around the oncoming attack, and sent a hail of shuriken that he pulled from his pouch at Gaara. Predictably every one of the throwing stars was halted by a wall of sand, but this was what Naruto had wanted.

When raised in defense, Gaara's sand blocked his view of whatever was in front of him.

Using this to his advantage Naruto quickly summoned the necessary chakra, and then seemed to simply vanish. He used the _Hidden Chameleon jutsu_ that Anko had shown him during their first mission together. Once that was done he molded his chakra and began to summon his mist.

This match wasn't a game, and Naruto knew he needed to end it as quickly as possible.

Gaara's normally impassive facade crinkled into a look of annoyance when his sand dropped to the floor and he was met with a strange, but interesting sight. Naruto Uzumaki was gone. The red-head could find no trace of his fellow genin, and to top it off, a heavy mist was settling onto the field.

Just as Gaara thought about how interesting his new prey was his sea-green eyes widened a fraction in surprise when the barest traces of heat washed over his back.

His sand had just stopped a fireball from scorching him.

Turning his head in the slightest, the Kazekage's son looked again for his blonde foe. The mist had stopped growing, leaving just enough visibility to see a few feet ahead; Naruto was not in range of Gaara's sight.

A shadow had Gaara's eyes snapping to the corners of their sockets. From his peripheral vision the Suna native caught just a glimpse of something moving through the fog, its speed removing it from sight just as quickly as it came. The red-head still sent a powerful blast of sand barreling forward though.

The pillar of sand crashed harmlessly into the earth. Gaara knit his brow together in the barest hint of frustration; his mother wanted blood, but his prey was choosing to hide instead of face him.

And that's when he heard Naruto's voice.

"Oh, you were so close Gaara, I think a few bits landed on my coat."

Naruto's voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, echoing without a specific point of origin. The red-head listened as his mother growled in vexation, the taunting tone Naruto's used causing the sand at Gaara's feet to jump in agitation. Sabaku no Gaara had never been taunted before, but he was quickly learning that it was something he did _not_ like.

Sand suddenly jumped up on the red-headed genin's side had him turning to see what had tried to strike him, only to whip his head around when another blow was walled off. Deciding to take initiative Gaara thrust his hand out, pouring his will into the sand and adding to its power, and then shooting spears of sand from the defensive wall in an attempt to catch the blonde he believed to be there.

When that failed, Gaara finally noticed just how close the attacks were getting before being stopped. His sand was only just able to catch them.

This revelation caused his mother's hackles to rise. Who did this worm think they were? Did he not understand who he was dealing with? Well, they'd just have to show him, wouldn't they?

Sand swiftly pooled under Gaara's feet before it solidified and then took to the air.

Naruto's brow was furrowed in thought as he pondered what to do next. His summons had informed him that the Kazekage's son had taken to the air, effectively cutting them off, which meant that it was now in the blonde's hands.

He'd used the same trio from his match with Ten-Ten, using them in another effort to gauge his opponent's strength. Or, rather, to discern the capabilities of that sand for himself.

And Naruto didn't like what he'd learned.

Add to that the fact his opponent was in the air, and Naruto had to wonder if his mist was useless now.

 _'Unless...'_ Naruto's scrunched eyebrows jumped to his hairline. That could work. His mind racing, the blonde genin thought back to the first exam. Ice mirrors!

It was risky, and Naruto doubted he had the skill with elemental combination to make them as big as Haku's, but the plan was the best he could think of without taking down his mist. ' _Maybe if I make enough it'll make up for their small size.'_

Unfortunately the blonde didn't get the chance to set his plan into motion, because he was soon having to avoid being crushed by a dangerous fist of sand.

Jumping back, Naruto outwardly cursed while internally wondering how Gaara had managed to find him. The answer was not one he'd expected; a floating eyeball. It was the same technique the Uzumaki recalled his adversary using during the written exam.

The eye's power quickly became apparent when Naruto found himself leaping and twisting through the air to avoid being caught by Gaara's sand. It was clear that, no matter where the red-head was, he could see Naruto and direct his attacks according.

This was a problem.

Deciding his tactic wasn't working like he hoped Naruto set to work canceling his mist and returning the stadium to normal, but the blonde made sure to activate his stealth jutsu before he was fully exposed.

Once the stage was clear again the invisible Naruto could easily find the floating Gaara, the red-head kneeling on a cloud of sand. Blue eyes watched as that airborne genin used his floating eye, as well as his single open eye to try and pinpoint his location. In fact, it almost looked as if Gaara could sense him.

Knowing that, if such a thing were true, he would lose his element of surprise Naruto opted instead to give his opponent a different target. Using an old trick the blonde's hands formed a cross seal and, out of a cloud of smoke came a _shadow-clone_.

The plan worked. Immediately upon the copies creation Gaara's attention turned in its direction.

As Gaara hurled a twin strike of sand spears at his clone, Naruto took that moment to move away. Watching as his original clone created two of his own Naruto thought of how best to handle Gaara and his sentient sand. With his speed the blonde was sure he could close the gap fast enough to land blows, but the worry came in being able to pull away before getting captured afterwards. Which meant separating the red-head from his gourd was the first priority.

That came easy enough thanks to the young genin's invisibility. Making his way around the floating Gaara, Naruto silently pulled a kunai from his thigh holster and then dashed towards his opponent. Leaping into the air, the cloaked blonde reached out and took hold of the gourd strap while simultaneously moving his knife through the shoulder.

The leather strap gave out under the sharp blade and Naruto soon found himself falling to the arena floor, where he proceeded to launch the container across the field. Blue eyes watched as one of the clones raced after it and engulfed the deadly sand in a large ball of fire.

Now the only sand Gaara had was what the red-head used to keep him afloat.

Unfortunately, the calm Naruto felt was quickly wiped away when he watched his opponent work through a chain of hand-signs.

" _Earth-style: Earth flow river_!"

The now visible Naruto watched as his clones were both caught in two separate upsurging pools of mud. The brown sludge quickly swallowed the copies up before they could react, and they dispersed in clouds of smoke. But Gaara wasn't done yet.

" _Earth-style: Earth-dragon bullet_!"

Now it was the maw of a dragon, drudging up from within the two pools of pre-prepared mud. Naruto sensed trouble, and was proven right when both dragon heads opened their jaws and began sending volleys of compacted mud at him.

Using his great speed though Naruto was able to duck and dodge each of the bullets that threatened to shatter his bones.

Moving around the field, the black-clad swordsman took a chance and jumped into the air. Skimming by another hail of rocketing projectiles, Naruto swiftly flashed through his own set of hand-signs before calling out his jutsu: " _Water-style: Exploding Water Shockwave_!"

A stone-cutting, pressurized jet of water flew from Naruto's lips. The bone-breaking blast was aimed straight at Gaara but, before it could hit, the red-headed genin swerved out of the way.

Making a choice to not let his attack go to waste, Naruto turned the jutsu on both dragon heads that had been left waiting for Gaara to return his attention to. With the lack of constant chakra flow the technique's elemental advantage wasn't strong enough, and soon both mud dragons were shattered and mixed into the deluge that formed after Naruto ceased his own chakra flow.

The puddle of water left behind wasn't really enough to make a dragon of its own, but the blonde creator of the pool _did_ decide it could be used for a different technique.

Now it was just a matter of timing his jutsu right.

Letting Gaara chase him around with his next _Earth-style_ jutsu, the same dragons he'd used against Lee, Naruto hopped, flipped and dodged to avoid being snagged or slammed by his opponent's impressive display of powerful techniques. It was as he back-flipped away from one particular serpent, letting it smash back into the earth it was made of, that the blonde saw his chance.

" _Wind-style- Greatbreak—"_

" _ **WOO-WOO-WOO!"**_

Naruto's plan was cut short when an alarm every citizen of Konoha knew well blared across the air. A loud explosion, and the frightened screams of people outside was all it took for the shinobi in the stands to realize what they were hearing was no mistake.

Konoha was under attack.

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N/: Okay, so, this battle was honestly tough to showcase. A lot of that came from Gaara's sand. I didn't want Naruto to just barrel through it, but I also knew that unless he was pushed Gaara wouldn't do more than just stand around. Over all I'm not too happy with it, but I can promise their battle during the war will be much more interesting!**_

 _ **Next I'll explain something that might have confused some of you; Sasuke's Sharingan. When I introduced the inverted dojutsu I planned for it to be something different than what I just made it I this chapter, but as I thought more about it I became unhappy with where that train of thought was taking me. So instead, I did make it Sasuke exclusive, and based solely on the curse-mark.**_

 _ **My next point of discussion is the power scaling I used for the shinobi villages. I never understood what Kishimoto was doing when he introduced the Anbu; because they are very lackluster in his series, the only really impressive ones are the likes of Zabuza, Itachi, Kisame and Kakashi. Other than those handful, no Anbu is made to look very 'elite', and they are supposed to be the absolute best.**_

 _ **Next is how I decided the range for shinobi numbers.**_

 _ **I got the idea from the fanfiction A Few Angry Words. I understand that during the last war there are a lot of shinobi, but that's three years AFTER where the story is taking place right now. At this point, every village has been hit by a relatively recent hit to their forces whether it be a world war, civil war, or tailed beast attack. So, I that case, I can't imagine they have very many Jounin or chunin left, where as genin would be in quick supply.**_

 _ **Now, those genin could swiftly become chunin through field promotion, which swells those ranks, but I feel that to become a Jounin takes a lot of effort and strength. So, to me, each village couldn't have more than maybe a hundred Jounin right now and even fewer who would be in league with people like Kakashi or Zabuza.**_

 _ **Last, I plan on going back through the previous chapters to basically clean them up. I looked over them the other day, and I find that my unchecked chapters were a bit messy in structure. Also, I'll be combining certain chapters to make the story run a bit smoother, as well as not have the story seem too drawn out. I apologize for how long the chunin exams took, but the next chapter will be its end. The invasion WILL be done in the entire chapter, this is something I'm going to hold myself to.**_

 _ **I want to move forward with this story and enter a new arc. There will not be a chapter for the funeral that will come after the invasion; it will simply be worked into the chapter that starts the new arc.**_

 _ **Anyways, that's the end of that, and I hope everyone is excited for the end of the chunin exams. It's been far too long in the coming, but it's finally come. If you have any questions or comments leave a review or drop a PM for me to read.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N/: Just so everyone knows, I've started revising the story, which includes combining chapters, so for the moment the numbers will mismatch. The idea was brought to my attention by a reader who pointed out that I'd actually spent a year and a half on just the chunin exams. I hadn't truly been aware of this fact until I'd gotten responses to my earlier question about how to handle the length of this fanfic. I just want to apologize for making this such a long arc, and I intend to do better about my mistake. The previous chapters will be cleaned up, and the flow of the story will be corrected.**_

 _ **I am thankful to all of you who've seen fit to stick it out this long, and hope you see my version of the invasion as a reward for your long wait.**_

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 _ **Ch.21- Konoha Crash!**_

 _ **xXx**_

With the blare of the invasion alarm Naruto's focus was thrown off and he fumbled to the ground before he managed to stumble and stay on his feet.

The black-clad genin's instincts kicked in and he immediately turned to look towards the Kage box. Naruto's azure eyes widened when they took in the site of both the Kazekage and his own village's Hokage trapped inside a large, purple barrier.

Seeing this, and finally tuning his ears in to the screams around him, allowed Naruto to finally understand that what he heard hadn't been a mistake or a drill. No, the sirens were real, and Konoha was under attack!

Movement from the corner of his eye drew the blonde's attention back towards his opponent...only for the boy's throat to clench at what he found.

Temari. The first girl he intended to try and open up to since Sakura, was standing with her Jounin instructor and younger brother beside Gaara. And she was posed in an aggressive stance.

Temari was part of the invading force.

So shocked was he that Naruto almost didn't notice when the proctor, Genma, moved beside him. Although the man's voice was enough to shake the blonde from his dumbstruck state.

"Hey, Naruto, I need you to focus here. This is definitely not the time for you to slip back into idiot mode; your village needs those skills of yours now more than ever." Then, turning his attention to the team of Suna ninja he asked, "What kind of scum turn their back on an ally?"

It was Temari who answered. The pig-tailed girl hoped her words reached the other blonde that stood before her, and helped him understand her actions. "We aren't scum! Suna's just tired of getting kicked around by the other nations; especially the Leaf. We just want our fair share!"

"And _this_ is how you get it? By trying to hurt innocent people, and bully back the same village _you claim_ is bullying yours?"

The ice-cold tone of Naruto's voice cut the Sand kunoichi to the bone.

Baki, the Suna Jounin, answered the blade-wielding blonde's question with a scoff. "Feh, what would a snot-nosed little punk like you know about it? Especially one who's lived his entire life inside the sheltered walls of the great Konohagakure!?"

Both Leaf shinobi easily caught the man's sarcasm, but only Naruto gritted his teeth at the barb. Who was this man to tell _him_ that he'd lived an easy life? Reaching back the blonde gripped the handle of his overly-large sword and got ready to engage the haughty Jounin—until said shinobi dropped a smoke bomb. Now, with their vision clouded, neither male could see the new trio motion to Gaara and disappear from the stadium.

"Son of a bitch!" Naruto found himself cursing as he looked around wildly for his prey. A hand on his shoulder stopped him though.

"Let them be for the moment kid, I've got a mission for you first."

Blue eyes looked over incredulously at the Jouin beside them as their blonde owner rashly demanded to know what kind of mission was more important than catching the four that got away.

"How about the safety of all those still stuck up in the arena!" Genma admonished. "Or did you forget about the thousands of civilians that can't fend off the deadly ninja trying to kill them up there!?"

For the first time Naruto actually did look up in the stands...and did not like what he saw. There were ninja, possibly from Suna but _that_ wasn't important right now, aiming to kill off the very same innocent lives he himself had just defended moments ago.

And then he remembered—Isarabi!

Blonde locks whipping around, Naruto snapped his head over to where he'd left his little Isa-chan in the care of his latest instructor, only to find her safely in the woman's arms as they were shielded by the other Jounin close by. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Naruto turned and quickly asked for his mission parameters.

"I need you to make as many _**shadow-clones**_ as you can kid, and send them up their to offer back up for the other shinobi fighting off those intruders to our home. _Then_ , if you so choose you may run off after those cowards from before, but not a moment sooner."

Naruto didn't need telling twice and, as Genma made his own way into the stands, created almost three-hundred _**shadow-clones**_ in one sitting. The mass of black that filled the arena floor quickly had it looking like a pool of ink before the original gave the order and had them leaping into the fray.

The genuine copy rushing full-speed to protect his young charge.

When he arrived it looked to be just in time, as one of the enemy shinobi had managed to slip by Asuma and was rushing up to Anko's back where Isaribi was huddled on the floor. The snake mistress cursed when she heard the bearded Jounin's warning, but just as she was turning to defend the screaming girl at her feet a black blur streaked by and jammed a ninjato into the Oto freak's throat.

"Stay away from them!" Naruto revealed himself as he shouted at the gurgling dead man who dropped to his knees. To punctuate his demand, the blonde punted the dying shinobi with the toe of his boot into the seats that surrounded them.

"Big Brother!"

"Naruto!"

Isaribi and Anko both cried at the same time, the relief and joy at seeing him almost palpable. Although the Special-Jounin's joy quickly turned back into a hard mask of battle as she asked where he'd been.

"I was being given an order by Genma-san; one, as you can see, I've taken very seriously."

Anko and a few of the other Jounin chanced a look around when the blonde swept his arm over the stadium. What they saw astounded them.

Everywhere you looked was a copy of Naruto. And that wasn't all; the multitude of blonde's were cutting through the enemy with ease! Some even had their replica of the _Kubikiribocho_ out and were widely swinging in an effort to cut down numerous enemies at a time. A strategy that seemed to be working, as the group of Jounin were quickly finding less and less targets to take on.

But it wasn't just the older shinobi that were astounded. The younger generation watching couldn't believe their eyes either.

Naruto, almost single hand-idly, was cleaning house.

For those like Shikamaru and Sakura it was an amazing thing. They could see the new Naruto in true action, and couldn't help be shell-shocked. But for the likes of Sasuke, it simply flared his jealousy as the last Uchiha's insecurities about his own skills reared their heads.

How come _he_ couldn't make hundreds of _**shadow-clones**_ with ease, and then go on to fight off just as many enemy ninja? What did the dead-last have that he did not? What was his secret!?

However, whatever anyone's reaction to the blonde's show-stopping performance, the spectacle was over in minutes as Naruto's clones finished off the last of Oto's arena swarm. And while it wasn't without casualty, that number was far less than those suffered by the invading force.

Seeing that they now had time to strategize, the Jounin whistled over all low-rank shinobi and relayed orders to them; this included the genin as well.

"First and foremost we need to protect those in the village who cannot defend themselves," Kakashi explained. "Which means many of you will be heading out to act as guards while the civilians are escorted to the emergency shelter. However, some of you will be relocated to the hospitals, to protect those who cannot be moved."

Hearing this Shino immediately volunteered for hospital duty; stating that Hinata would need his help. And while Kurenai swiftly sent him on his way with Guy sending Neji as back-up, Asuma turned his attention to his own team.

"Ino you and Choji are gonna act as defense for those being moved to safety; Shikamaru you're with me in the field."

This did not sit well with the Yamanaka heiress at all.

"What the heck Asuma-sensei, why only Shikamaru!? Choji and I are just as good, in case you forgot!"

Ino's rant would have ran farther, if not for the _very_ serious look her bearded Jounin instructor gave her. Scowling through his cigarette, Asuma gruffly derailed his female students attitude.

"Actually Ino, no, _you_ aren't. And I would have taken Choji along if I didn't think you were going to get into trouble on your own—so he's going to make sure you don't die. And once this is over, don't think we won't be having a talk about your direct insubordination in front of numerous higher-ranking shinobi. Now, _get_ _going_."

The platinum-blonde's powder-blue eyes widened in fear before she quickly bobbed her head in understanding and ran off with Choji after being given some gear by Shikamaru.

No remaining genin dared to question the smoking man's choice in words with Ino, not even Sakura, and instead simply waited for their own orders. Kakashi was the next to give them out.

"Sakura, I know your skill is limited, but I want you down at the main hospital to aid in defense of the bed-ridden. I also want you lending aid to the medics in any way possible; do you understand?"

While miffed, like Ino, that she wasn't on the front lines Sakura knew better than to argue because the pinkette _herself_ understood that her level of skill would make no great difference there, and instead would simply get in the way.

"Naruto, I want you to send a handful of your clones to go with her as back up...and send some after Ino and Choji too."

The blonde gave a sharp nod of understanding and motioned for his doppelgangers to do as the man said. "You got it Kakashi-sensei; and Kurenai-sensei don't worry, I'll send a few down to the medical bay here at the stadium to watch over Hinata too."

All eyes turned to the red-eyed Jounin in question to see that she was indeed just about to ask for that very favor. When the blonde did it without a second thought, the raven-haired beauty couldn't help throwing a thankful smile his way.

"Speaking of you kid," Anko cut in, "you're gonna be with me. You and I are gonna go after those four I saw you staring down in the arena. Something tells me that those guys are the real bad news around here."

Before Naruto could confirm his understanding though, another voice cut him off.

"Then I guess I'll be going with you two then." It was Sasuke.

Once again all eyes found a single target, only this time many of them looked on in disbelief or annoyance. Kakashi was the one to break the swiftly mounting tension.

"Um, actually Sasuke I was going to have you come with me and run perimeter control. With the element of surprise in their favor we have no idea just what kind of damage the enemy has already done, or where their force is strongest or weakest. You and I are going to scout the streets and gather Intel for the War Council."

Sasuke looked over at his Jounin instructor and barked, "Why can't you bring one of the loser's clones with you; he's definitely made more than enough. I should be following the primary threat to our village and helping to put it down."

"And what qualifies you to make that decision, _genin_?" The question had been posed by Anko, who was looking at the Uchiha youth like he was mud on the bottom of her shoe.

"I'm clearly one of the best among those in my age group, otherwise you would have shipped me off already on some background assignment. It's obvious, with my _Sharingan_ , that I should be on the squad sent after Gaara."

Anko simply shooed the boy's observation away as she off-handedly replied, "Eh, I'd rather have the kid's endless clone supply and skill than your silly little kekkei genkai. Why don't you just do what your told, and we'll see afterwards if you're worth as much as you claim."

Sasuke made to retort, but was silenced when Kakashi shut him down.

"Enough, Sasuke, we don't have time for this. As your superior I am not asking you to do this, I'm _ordering_ you. We're under attack, genin Uchiha, and every moment we spend prattling on is another that the enemy could be using to gain a foothold in our home. So from here on, I need you to pull your head out of your ass and be a team player."

Burned by the insults and his pride taking a direct hit Sasuke was still wise enough to bow out, as any further contention would result in even worse consequences than were sure to come at the end of the battle. He simply crossed his arms in a show of displeasure and clenched his jaw.

Seeing that the boy was silenced for the time being, the Jounin each relayed their own plans to each other before it was decided that Naruto's many clones would act as reinforcements to help defend the village; with a small contingent being sent to take Isaribi to the shelter, and then aid in the recovery of wayward civilians.

With all plans laid out, the circle of shinobi broke off, and headed out to perform their duties as assigned or decided.

 _ **xXx**_

"I can't believe Asuma-sensei," Ino pouted as she and Choji sped over rooftops looking for any stragglers who needed their help. "How could he embarrass me like that in front of everybody; especially Sasuke-kun!"

"Ino not that I agree with how he said it, but, sensei did have a point." The heavy-set Akimichi told her. "Next to probably Sakura you've gotta know, you put in the least amount of effort when it comes to training. It wouldn't be responsible to have you—"

"You too Choji!?" The Yamanaka heiress cut him off, "You're supposed to be my friend; how can you say something like that?"

Choji frowned at the girl's questioning his loyalty. "Because you aren't thinking Ino; this isn't a game. You say you're ready for open combat, but what happens when you're out there alone and you get in over your head. Who is supposed to be the one to tell your father that his little girl is dead?"

That question stonewalled any other argument the pretty young diva had left in her. For all her attitude and snobby attempts to seem mature, Ino Yamanaka was indeed a daddy's girl. And the thought of causing the man any sort of pain, be it physical or emotional, caused the young kunoichi's heart to break. So much so, that Ino didn't even notice that there were enemy ninja coming her way.

But Choji did.

"Ino, watch out!"

The purple-clad kunoichi nearly got whiplash as she was jerked out of the way of an incoming volley of kunai. From there the two Leaf genin stumbled to a halt atop a roof and stood face-to-face with the four Oto invaders.

Choji and Ino stared in apprehension at the enemy. Neither clan heir had seen real-time combat, as their only C-rank mission had been the transportation of goods for trade, and so both could do nothing but fall into a defensive stance and wait.

"Well, well look what we've got here," the front-most Oto ninja taunted. Behind him the other three laughed menacingly.

Taking initiative Choji took a step forward and placed himself subtly in front of the blonde beside him. As he stared the enemy down, the over-weight boy growled, "What are you foreign ninja doing in our home; what did we ever do to you?"

"It's not about what you've done," the older man scoffed. "It's about Oto making a name for itself, and what better way than to take down the strongest of the five Great Nations?"

"So than this is all about greed," Choji spat.

The Oto ninja smirked dangerously as he replied, "There's nothing wrong with wanting more. And speaking of, I think my friends and I would be willing to let you go if you hand over your friend."

Behind her team-mate Ino shuddered in disgust as her mind locked up with image of what these men would no doubt do to her. For Choji, the images in his own head prompted him into action.

"Over my dead body! Ninja Art: _**Partial-expansion jutsu**_!"

In quick succession both the Akimichi heir's arms swelled to enormous size, and the boy took a direct stance in front of Ino to defend against any frontal assault. The first of which came just seconds after.

"Heh, that was the idea kid."

All at once the four invaders rushed in on Choji. The young rookie managed to swipe his large fist fast enough to knock one man away, but he soon found himself on the defensive as he tried to avoid being turned into Swiss-cheese by the three katana that came thrusting in his direction.

Choji grunted in pain as one enemy managed to slice a gash along his left side, and then almost stumbled when his head took the blunt impact of a roundhouse-kick. The young brunette tried calling on his months of training but, against more than one enemy at a time, he soon found there wasn't much he could do alone.

"Ino, I need you're help! I can't take them all by myself!"

But Choji's cries fell on deaf ears, as the girl in question could only stand frozen in fear at the sight before her. Ino's hands shook so bad she almost dropped the kunai she'd grabbed to defend herself. The same went for her legs, which soon gave out on her and forced the heiress onto her knees.

Inside her mind screamed at the platinum-blonde to help her friend, but Ino just couldn't move. She was afraid, and that fear turned the once haughty diva into a quivering little girl.

And then, in a blur, it was over.

Or, more specifically, five blurs. Five copies of Naruto seemed to just suddenly appear out of nowhere and make quick work of the men who were trying to kill Choji. When the blondes were finished, one went over and killed the Oto ninja Choji had felled into unconsciousness, while another walked over to the still-downed Ino.

"Hey, _princess_ , you okay over here?"

The snappy tone spoke to the inner-attitude of the girl in question and caused Ino to jolt in surprise.

"W-Wha...N-Naruto? What the heck, who do you think you're talking to like that you dork!?"

Azure eyes met powder-blue as both blondes stared the other down. Finally, after what seemed like hours, one of the clones that had stayed beside Choji called out that the boy was safe. "He's just got a couple bruises and some cuts; one on his side is pretty bad, but the rest are shallow."

Seeing Ino sag in relief further fueled the clone's ire. How dare she act as if everything was okay!

"I wouldn't relax if I were you Ino, because in a situation like this even the smallest weakness can be exploited, and Choji could get killed."

This caused Ino's head to snap in the clone's direction as she seethed, "Well sorry for not being as good at taking lives as you seem to be Naruto; I got scared, so what!?"

"You think what I just did was _easy_ Ino? Do you really believe that the boss is really just bale to end someone's life and feel nothing? Well, let me tell you something, what we do is no where _close_ to easy; the things that we do haunt our dreams at night, and we're lucky to be as sane as we are. You have no idea how all of this makes the boss feel, so don't make assumptions!"

The clone's loud outburst and wild gaze caused Ino to shrink back in fear, but the blonde doppelganger wasn't finished with his tirade yet. Pointing an accusing finger he went on to say "And I'm not getting on you about being scared, but about how you chose to handle your fear. Instead of stepping up to the plate and facing it, you nearly let the fact that you were afraid get Choji _killed—_ he almost died Ino!"

Ino was close to tears now as she hung her head in shame. Because as much as the diva in her wanted to retort, and get in the clone's face, Ino knew he was right. She had failed. And worst of all, it had been at a time when someone close to her needed her the most.

Naruto's clones spoke up again, bringing the downtrodden girl from her thoughts and back into reality.

"As much as it pains me to keep going, I need to say this. Ino, there's no time for you to have one of your crying fits—we need to get moving. There are sure to be stragglers in the streets and we need to get them to safety. So I need you to get up, wipe your face, and get moving. The rest of the clones and I are going to act as you and Choji's back up now with me taking point."

With her head still down, Ino nodded I understanding and managed to shakily make her way to her feet. Once she was standing again, the Yamanaka heiress did indeed wipe away her tears with the palm of her hand before sniffling one last time and peering up I embarrassment to show she was ready.

Naruto's clones reached out and placed a soothing hand on the girl's shoulder and offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for sounding so harsh Ino, but you're a member of my village and that makes you important, so I just don't wanna see you getting hurt. I know our job is hard, and after this is over I'm more than willing to sit down and listen if you need to talk. I won't even say a word if you don't want me to, I'll just listen, and be a shoulder for you if you need it."

The clone turned his head and offered Choji the same smile as he recanted his offer, "That goes for you too Choji. But first, we gotta get through this, so let's move out."

With the clone's help, Ino and Choji went on to rescue a number of civilians during the invasion, the kunoichi herself making an accidental first kill when she was nearly captured by a Oto ninja in disguise. She having flailed her arms upon being snatched, and unknowingly driving her kunai into the man's stomach several times.

Needless to say, Ino decided she would take her fellow blonde up on his offer once the invasion was over.

 _ **xXx**_

While that was going on, Neji and Shino were busy aiding Hinata in the staving off of those enemies that lurked among the shadows of the infirmary.

With both Hyuga swiftly patched up by medical-ninja, Hinata and her cousin found themselves, while not at one-hundred percent, well off enough that they could handle the scattered cockroaches they found hiding in the occasional corner.

And to that that Shino and his bugs acted as their support, and the enemy didn't know what to think.

Neji listened as another enemy's heart exploded underneath his palm-thrust before the spun on the ball of his foot to slide around the man and use him as a meat shield against an incoming katana strike.

With his safety taken care of, Neji sprung up into a back-flip and landed facing the unprotected blind-spot of his next target. The Hyuga genius made short work of this man too with a few quick shots to his spinal cord, before a gurgle from behind caught his attention.

Turning to find where the noise came from, Neji was shocked to find that it had been the enemy ninja he'd seen coming with his sword raised. And even more so, was that when the invader crumpled into a lifeless heap, it was Hinata that stood in in a post-deathblow stance.

Hinata, the Main Branch heiress that he had despised for over ten years, and had ridiculed as well as trashed for just as long...had just saved his life.

Something, a few short hours ago, he himself would have given no thought to had the situation been reversed.

And then Hinata turned right back around and began dealing with her next opponent.

After the invasion was over, and he was safely sitting up in bed, Neji Hyuga would wrack his brain with questions as the genius pondered the enigma that was his cousin. The girl who, not once, had ever so much as raised her voice at him let alone raise a threatening hand in spite of every nasty thing he himself had said or done.

The girl who, despite all the bad blood, watched his back in battle, and unconditional trusted him to do the same. All because they were family. It was as she'd said many times; to Hinata, there was no branches, they were all one family.

The prospect kept Neji awake all night.

 _ **xXx**_

The infirmary wasn't the only medical facility under attack, as Kakashi's orders to send Sakura and a contingent of clones turned out to be a good idea.

Upon making it to the hospital, Naruto's clone was immediately briefed on the situation as well as the building's current standing in terms of defense. There were a number of chunin that had already been dispatched to the area and were setting up a perimeter, so Sakura and the clones were instructed to act as a last line of defense in case the others went down or enemies slipped inside.

With sensory-types among the staff, any break-ins were swiftly dealt with by a pair of clones, and for a time many of those inside believed everything would run smoothly.

Sakura included.

So much so, that she let her guard down enough that when she went to make rounds with one of Naruto's copies, the pinkette found herself held at knife point by an enemy masquerading as a patient. The girl's immediate reaction was to scream fro help, but even she feared Naruto's clone wouldn't be fast enough to stop her throat from being slit.

From her place on the floor, as her captor had tackled her, Sakura looked up with tears in her eyes silently pleading with the blonde to save her.

"Don't even think about it kid," the impostor grinned. "One step, and I'll cut open her pretty neck, and you can see her blood stain the tiles on the floor."

The clone just stood and stared for a moment, as if contemplating what to do, before he gave a smirk of his own...and then was replaced with a befuddled Sakura in a cloud of smoke.

With his eyes now clouded from the replacement, Sakura's former captor was unprepared for the headbutt that smashed into his nose before _his_ throat was slashed by a whirling blonde. Hands dropping their weapon, the Oto ninja grasped at his windpipe in a pathetic attempt to stop the bleeding before his life finally gave out and he crumpled to the floor.

Ironically, it was now his blood that stained the tiles.

The deed done, Naruto's clone hauled himself off the floor and quickly made his way to the door. Not even looking at Sakura he boldly informed her to follow him as they moved back to the core of the building to inform the staff of the new development. Even the patience couldn't be trusted.

And while there were thankfully no more close calls, Sakura continued to subconsciously rub her neck for the rest of the invasion whenever she found the time.

In all her dreams of being a kunoichi, never had any of them involved Naruto saving her from danger. But that night, when her head hit the pillow, Sakura's mind could think of nothing else...not even of her failure.

 _ **xXx**_

Crimson orbs jumped from one dark corner to the next as Sasuke's _Sharingan_ actively searched for enemy ninja. From the moment he and Kakashi started their patrol, they had yet to encounter any enemy ninja.

And while the Jounin of the pair considered this a good thing, as it meant their own defenses were holding up, Sasuke was left largely unsatisfied. He wanted a chance to prove himself; to test his skills.

It had been well over an hour now, and the Uchiha heir was getting restless.

That pent up energy exploded when Sasuke's eyes caught sight of a fireball launching through the air, and heading his way. Landing on one foot, the fidgety young man pushed off and shot himself backwards and out of range. Once he was safe, Sasuke turned his gaze to the incoming enemy.

There were three; all Sand ninja.

With Kakashi and himself momentarily separated by the fireball, Sasuke took this opportunity to launch himself into action.

Using his newly acquired speed Sasuke bolted from his position and rushed in to take on all three opponent's at once. He opened with an overhead-kick. When the first Suna shinobi blocked it with his forearm, Sasuke flipped back and and pushed back in with a hard knee strike. His speed in such a close quarter one him the day as his hit struck home, while his eyes caught the edge of an attack coming his way which allowed him the chance to duck under it.

From his crouched position, Sasuke landed an elbow strike to the man's gut before coming up with a rising uppercut. Once in the air though, the Uchiha was jerked back by his collar by the third enemy and thrown to the ground.

Managing to roll into another crouched position Sasuke stared confidently at his trio of foes. Even with the element of surprise brought on by his speed gone, the young heir still believed himself capable of handling all three of the ninja in front of him.

A theory he would never get to prove, as at that moment two of the men were dragged underground by what Sasuke recognized as Kakashi's _**Head-hunter jutsu**_. Although this did give the genin a chance to catch the last Suna invader off-guard.

Swiftly pulling out a kunai, Sasuke moved in like a snake; fast and lethal. The bite of his kunai striking his opponent's jugular as went to tackle the man to floor.

Blood splashed against the Uchiha's torso and right hand, while specks of red splattered across his pale face like ketchup. From his place atop the man's body Sasuke watched, _Sharingan_ still active, as the life left his eyes. Their was a glint of disbelief in the Suna native's eyes; as if he couldn't believe he'd just been beaten by a kid.

Kakashi would later inform him that this was because the man had been a Jounin, and had not expected Sasuke's attack.

However, in spite of the ex-Anbu captains warnings, Sasuke felt his ego swell at the thought of managing to bring down an elite shinobi by himself. In his mind, the Uchiha heir considered it a tribute to his blood's power, and was in the belief that he had gotten that much closer to killing his brother.

The dark appetite that sprouted at the sight of the man's death and all the blood was pushed back into the darker corners of his mind though, although when the invasion was over and Sasuke was asleep, the fledgling Uchiha's dreams were filled with whispers of desire for more blood...and the power to make it so.

 _ **xXx**_

Kiba grinned maliciously as he barreled through another enemy. The Sand ninja didn't have a chance to fully dodge his _**Gatsuga**_ and was left with a bloody gash over his rib cage.

The Inuzuka heir hadn't bothered going to the exam finals, mostly because he couldn't stomach seeing Sasuke, but there was also the fact that his mother had set him up with an appointment that same day...to see a counselor.

Tsume Inuzuka, Matriarch to the clan, had begun to greatly worry for her youngest child's mental health. It was never easy for a member of their clan to lose ninken, as the dog was like their brother/sister, but Kiba's mother was starting to fear that her son was suffering from a disorder known as _Soul Tearing_. A syndrome found mostly among members of the Inuzuka clan do to their unusually close bonds.

With Akamaru's death, Tsume had of course been driven into fury, but eventually managed over the month to settle it into a livable hatred for Sasuke Uchiha. The same however could not be said for Kiba.

The young genin had begun to show up to the family meals with bags under his eyes, prompted from lack of sleep. This, Tsume later found out from her daughter, was due to nightmares Kiba had that were keeping him awake. Along with this came a shaggy, unkempt appearance. Kiba's hair had grown shaggy and now reached between his shoulders while his nails had lengthened and hardened into claws similar to his transformed state; his teeth had also taken on a similar look.

But in the end it was his eyes that forced Tsume to act. Because when she looked into her son's eyes, all Tsume Inuzuka could see was en emptiness that didn't belong on the face of one so young. Kiba's eyes held no joy, or sense of real happiness. Instead the only time his mother or sister saw anything was during training; and then, it was a feral sort of lust for battle.

It was the day after seeing this that Tsume called for the appointment.

And now, on the day he was meant to begin his road to mental reconstruction, Kiba instead found himself splattered in blood as he clawed his way through numerous invading shinobi.

From atop a nearby roof top both Tsume and her daughter Hana looked on at their youngest family member with worry in there eyes. The two of them watched morbidly as Kiba slashed another man's face before shooting out his leg and smashing a kick into another ninja's sternum.

"We're gonna have to do something quick mom before..."

"Before his markings split, and there's no turning back."

 _ **xXx**_

It wasn't just Leaf ninja whose minds were occupied in thought during the invasion though. Temari found herself in pain as she thought back to the look Naruto had given her before she and her brothers had escaped with Baki.

He looked so...betrayed.

And while she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, that her interest in the other blonde was purely physical, Temari soon found that she couldn't lie to herself. Naruto was someone she _had_ wanted to get to know; and the pig-tailed kunoichi couldn't convince herself she was as heartless as she tried to be.

So that pain and realization was only compounded when her teams movement was halted by the appearance of a pack of wolves circling around them.

Followed swiftly by not only Naruto, but Anko and one of the blonde's warrior wolves as well.

Eyeing the trio of Leaf ninja, Suna's team decided to take their chances with the wolves and Temari made to sweep them away with her fan. This plan failed however when those same wolves seemed to anticipate this and rushed her instead.

Many of them did indeed get pushed aside, but one managed to get lucky and chomped down on Temari's left forearm.

The Suna beauty cried out in pain before Baki pummeled the animal's nose, and finally tossed it aside. With Temari clutching her bleeding wound, the foursome turned to face their opponent's, seeing as running was no longer an option.

"Looks like this is as far as we're gonna get Gaara; you're gonna have to do it here."

Baki's whispers drew incredulous looks from the aforementioned red-head's elder siblings. Kankuro in particular looked frightened.

"W-What, are you crazy!? What if he hurts one of _us_?"

"We can't worry about that right now; Gaara is the key to winning, he _has_ to do this now, or else everything we've planned for will fall apart!" Baki's low tone escalated at the end and drew the Leaf ninja's attention to the dangers of Gaara.

Anko flicked a pair of kunai from the holsters in her sleeves and readied herself for battle. "Whatever you guys are planning ends here; you're going to pay for turning on us!"

Without anymore words the Special-Jounin showed off impressive speed as she launched herself at Baki. None of the Sand genin could keep up, and so were unable to help defend their sensei when Anko trucked him with a shoulder press.

Once the burly man was knocked from his perch in the trees, Anko quickly followed after him, leaving just the genin to handle each other.

Kankuro didn't like it, but the painted teen turned to his younger brother and gave the order to 'begin the transformation'. This confused both Naruto and his summon, but neither one wished to find out what would happen if they let it him finish, so they moved to engage their enemy.

Both of Gaara's siblings stepped up to block their way, and the red-head himself flew high into the trees to find solitude for his change. Naruto tried to send his wolves up to follow, but they were again knocked away by Temari's wind.

"You'll have to get through me first," she declared boldly.

The upright wolf made to engage her, but a hand on his wide shoulder stopped him. Turning his amber eyes, the furry warrior looked on to see his summoner shaking his head.

"No, let me handle her. Temari fights in a style that a close-quarter specialist like you wouldn't do well against; take her brother instead. If I remember right he deals with puppets, so you should probably use the pack as reinforcements Lobo."

The large white wolf with green runes tattooed along his fur nodded in understanding before setting his sights on Kankuro. He waved his muscular arm, and once his fellow wolves were ready, Lobo jumped at the Suna teen with his claws raised high.

With Kankuro jumping away, to get distance for unleashing his puppet-jutsu, Naruto's eyes narrowed in on the last remaining Suna shinobi; Temari.

"Before we do this, Naruto-kun please, let me explain-"

The words were shut back into her mouth when Temari was hit by what felt like an invisible smash attack. But she knew better; it was Naruto's seal-less jutsu, the one she'd seen him use against that girl Ten-Ten.

Realigning herself in the air, Temari's frost-green eyes popped when the jutsu was followed by a hard knee to the stomach, before the black blur grabbed her head and smashed it with the same joint.

Her head snapped back from the force, and the Suna kunoichi soon found herself flipping back through the air. This was brought to an abrupt halt when Naruto suddenly appeared above her and slammed his elbow through her gut.

The force of the blow as it hit home sent the fan-wielding girl rocketing towards the forest floor.

Desperately scrambling for her fan, Temari wretched it from its place on her back, where she'd replaced it after being bitten, and whipped it against the open space between her and the earth. The kunoichi's wind jutsu activated, and allowed her to descend in a float aboard her weapon.

From her place on the ground, Temari hunched over in pain as she held her bruised mid-section and used her now closed fan to keep herself standing.

 _'I knew he'd be mad, but I hoped to at least talk to him,'_ the battered sandy-blonde thought morosely.

Was it too much to ask that he hear her out?

Shooting her eyes around in hopes of finding her fellow blonde, Temari wondered for a moment why the boy wasn't using his mist. Until she remembered that doing so could harm his own comrades chance at victory.

Such a level of thoughtfulness was unheard of among most shinobi, and only raised the kunoichi's respect for Naruto.

"Now that I've let out most of my anger," the voice Temari had wanted to hear echoed through the trees. "How about you get on with that explanation of yours; you have five minutes."

Shocked that she was given this chance the eager fan-wielder quickly filled the void of silence with her pleas.

"I'm sorry this happened Naruto, really, it was never personal. When my sensei informed my brothers and I about the invasion we were already in the midst of the exams, it was long before I met you in the stands. And yes, I know it seems strange that I would agree to see you again with the invasion Suna planned on the horizon, but I couldn't help myself!"

By this time Temari's face was screwed into a mask of pain as she tried to express her regret for making Naruto think she was leading him on.

"There's no one like you back in my village, okay!? The men in my village are either too afraid to hold a conversation with me, or aren't really interested in anything other than my connection with the Kazekage; none of them have ever seen me the way you do. None of them have made me feel as if, finally, I had someone I could just talk to!"

Now Temari was on her knees; the anguish she felt weighing her down like the world was on her shoulders. Tears welled in the normally strong-willed kunoichi's eyes as she pleaded for her fellow blonde to believe her. Because even if they couldn't be together romantically, Temari knew she couldn't lose the chance to have her first _real_ friend.

The silence that filled the air once she was done had a lump rising in Temari's throat as her heart dropped into her stomach.

It seemed to stretch on for hours, a lifetime even, before Naruto's voice broke through it and the girl's numb psyche. "What did your Jounin friend mean by Gaara 'transforming'?"

It was a test. Naruto was seeing if she really meant what she'd said about not trying to use him. And while it pained her to do it, Temari had never agreed with her father's plan to invade Konoha. So swallowing her pain, the kunoichi rasped out her answer.

"G-Gaara is a...a _jinchuuriki_ , and the plan is to have him transform into the Ichibi and help l-level your village."

From his place among the trees Naruto nearly toppled over in shock. There was someone else like him? What the hell was wrong with these people!?

Then Naruto's mind recalled the much _bigger_ problem.

"You mean Gaara can actually bring out the Tailed-Beast inside of him!?"

Temari just nodded her head, before remembering that Naruto may not be able to see her, and then called out that her brother had to have at least finished twenty-five percent of the transformation by now.

Naruto cursed; that wasn't good. Because while he'd never faced off against a _Biju_ before, the blonde was sure that twenty-five percent of infinite power was still more than any of the smaller villages could handle even with their full force. And he was just one genin!

But before he could start to doubt himself, Naruto recalled his dream. To become the next Hokage. Such a title could not be held by a frightful child, or one who coward in the face of danger. No, if he was going to take the mantle one day then there was no time for letting fear cloud his mind.

Calling out to his fellow blonde Naruto told her, "If I'm going to stop him then I'm going to need your help."

 _ **xXx**_

Anko felt the lust for blood that the curse-mark brought on, coursing through her veins like molten lava. The heat of battle and the prospect of bringing pain to her opponent fueled that fire, and left the woman breathing heavy in excitement.

Her opponent had kept up with her for well over ten minutes now, and for Anko that was more than enough for a round of applause.

" _ **Ninja-art: Striking Shadow-snakes**_!"

The Special-Jounin's signature jutsu sprang from her coat sleeves and soared through the air in an effort to pin down the Suna Jounin that faced her.

But Baki was quick, and the husky man managed to leap away and avoid being tagged. And then, while he was in the air, Baki managed to throw out his own jutsu as a counter-attack. " _ **Wind-style: Air Bullet**_!"

A well-sized pocket of pressurized air shot towards Anko like its namesake. The kunoichi proved herself just as fast and easily maneuvered outside of the blasts' range. Letting her feet touch down on an adjacent tree trunk, Anko pushed off strong, and leaped forward to try and get in close to her opponent.

Ducking under Baki's defensive swing of his katana, Anko was surprised to find she still felt a few of her hairs come loose. She was sure she'd cleared the attack...hadn't she?

Choosing not to dwell on it the woman in the trench-coat continued her strike, and landed a powerful jab on her foes stomach. From there Anko went for a roundhouse-kick, but had to turn it into an ax-kick with her other leg when Baki blocked with his forearm.

The male Jounin leaned back to avoid the follow up to Anko's first kick and then held his sword with both hands before trying to run the woman through with it.

Thinking fast Anko whipped her coat-tail around and let it take the attack. The chain-male woven into the clothe helped absorb the blow, and Baki's katana was stopped short of its true target. Using her opponent's surprise to her advantage then, Orochimaru's apprentice slipped her arm out from her billowing sleeve and sucker-punched the man in his jaw.

The strength of the blow forced the Suna Jounin to drop his katana, as his head was twisted from the force. But this momentary loss of focus was all it took for Anko to eject another kunai into her right hand and slash it across Baki's throat.

Blood gushed forth in an instantaneous expulsion, covering the purple-haired kunoichi's entire top-half in the splatters of crimson, before just as quickly dying down into a series of squirts. And as the powerful Sand ninja's body stumbled off the branch they were on, Anko allowed herself a few seconds to pay her respects to the man's skill before deciding that Naruto needed her help.

 _ **xXx**_

Inside his meditative trance Gaara could feel his body changing, transforming, as his mother covered him in her acknowledgment. She was showing him that she knew he existed.

And it felt _good_.

The red-head had shivered in grotesque delight as chakra flared from his person and soon wrapped him in a cocoon. That had been over ten minutes ago, and now his entire left side from waist up was entombed inside a body of sand; the the large cover of armor taking on a disturbing likeness to the Ichibi.

 _'Just a little longer.'_

" _ **Wind-style: Wind-scythe jutsu!**_ "

Whoever the voice belonged to wasn't enough to fully break Gaara's concentration, feeling more like they were speaking from a hundred feet away, but the shattering of his meditation sphere, and the sharp burning pain erupting from his chest certainly did the trick.

"GAAH!"

Gaara's cries echoed throughout the entire forest, shocking Temari who had cast the jutsu with her fan, and unnerving Naruto as he'd never heard such an animalistic howl before. It bordered on demonic.

Both blondes watched as Subaku no Gaara was ejected from his perch and sent careening off the branch and down towards the earth below. The shock of feeling pain was written clear across the young _jinchuuriki's_ twisted face, and the blood that seeped from his first wounds real coated the red-head's chest a crimson color that matched his own hair.

From her own place among the trees Temari couldn't believe what she was seeing. In all her life, the sandy-blonde had never seen her brother be touched by more than a hand on the shoulder, let alone get hurt. It had just seemed... _impossible_.

And yet, with her own two eyes, Gaara's older sister could see clear as day the oozing cuts that littered his misshapen torso. Harm she herself had caused.

It was surreal.

It gave her hope. Hope that, even her seemingly invincible brother could be defeated.

Then Temari's gaze switched, and watched as Naruto threw himself after Gaara. It had been the plan after all; she used her superior elemental affinity to break Gaara's defense, and Naruto would face him head on.

With her as support, of course.

Naruto's azure eyes narrowed in focus as he leaped from his own tree and torpedoed through the air to follow the falling Gaara. His large zanbato was drawn and angled so the first swing would hit with all the force of gravity. That plan was derailed though when the red-head below him seemed to snap back into focus, and proceeded to twist sharply before launching an a _ **ir-bullet**_ his way.

"Shit," the blonde cursed. From the range there was no time to avoid it and Naruto was hit full-force by the blunt pocket of air. The jutsu slammed square against his chest, knocking the air from his own lungs and cracking a few of his ribs, before sending him spinning back and into one of the many huge trees surrounding the pair.

His back slamming against the thick trunk Naruto bounced before dropping like a weight atop the nearest branch. Landing in a heap, the blonde genin groaned from the pain radiating from his entire upper-body.

There were spots dancing in Naruto's vision and his head rung, but the young swordsman could still catch the fuzzy taunt that Anko was giving him, as she made her way onto the scene.

"Geeze kid, ten seconds in and he's got you on your hands and knees?" The Special-Jounin shook her head in mock disappointment as she tutted. "And after all that bragging I did to my friends about you too."

Spitting out a mouthful of blood Naruto managed a cocky grin as he looked up. "What, this? I just let him have a free shot Anko-sensei."

"Uh huh," the woman in question smiled back incredulously. "Well, now that I'm here, play time's over Naruto. It's time to get serious; you gonna be okay after that last hit?"

Hauling himself to his feet, the blonde grimaced at the feel of his own blood spattered against the bandages over his face before looking over at his female sensei. "It hurts, but I can already feel the fox's chakra coating the breaks with his chakra. The bruise on my back is gone, and while the bones aren't fully mended yet I should be able to bear the pain long enough to get this done."

"Glad to hear it," Anko said before looking over at Gaara. The red-head was standing, nursing his own wounds, on a branch a few yards away. Grinning, the woman flashed through a trio of hand-signs.

" _ **Fire-style: Fireball jutsu!**_ "

When the attack was expelled from her lungs Naruto reacted immediately. Disappearing in a burst of speed, the blonde seemed to materialize above the leaping Gaara and brought down his sword in a hard swing.

Azure eyes widened in surprise as they watched their fellow demon container block _Kubikiribocho_ with his deformed forearm. That shock multiplied when Naruto watched his blade start to sink into the grainy mold. Thinking fast, the blonde pushed off his zanbato's handle and spun into a kick.

The move hit home on the crown of Gaara's head and sends the roaring red-head down towards Anko, who was waiting for her part in the duo's team attack, while Naruto flew a few feet and stuck himself to a nearby trunk with chakra.

Licking her lips, Anko rolled onto her back before shooting her coiled legs up to smash into Gaara's sternum. That Anko then dissolved into mud, and the original came rocketing through the air to truck the Suna genin with her shoulder. But the woman wasn't done there. Flinging out her arms, the Special-Jounin's signature jutsu flew from her sleeves and captured Gaara in a bind of snakes.

Swinging the _jinchuuriki_ around, Anko angled her captive so that Naruto's knee could slam against Gaara's sand-covered face.

This was where Anko let her snakes go and the woman came up behind her opponent and jammed two kunai into the boy's exposed back. Despite his partial armor, the woman still managed to lodge one of the knives into his right shoulder-blade, and then she kicked off before using the sign for 'release'.

" _ **BOOM!"**_

The exploding tags, which had been wrapped around the kunai handles, exploded in a bright flash of orange before a tattered Gaara sank from the cloud of ashen smoke left behind.

This time there was no surprise attack at the battered Suna ninja crashed against the earth below.

Three pairs of eyes watched everything seemingly come to a halt as Gaara lay, bleeding and burned, in the dirt. Anko and Naruto turned to look at one another, and when the woman gave an affirmative nod, her blonde student jumped from his position and dropped like a rock towards his downed opponent; zanbato poised for a killing blow.

It was the third pair of eyes though, belonging to Temari, that shot wide in realization before she whipped her fan around and screamed.

"NARUTO-KUN, NO! IT'S A TRAP!"

Using her wind, the sandy-blonde managed to catch a confused younger genin in a sweep. The move came just in time as a second sand arm burst from the pile of , now noticeably, _growing_ armor surrounding Gaara.

The arm found nothing but air as its target was whisked away, but the truth of the action was clear. Gaara wasn't down, and he was ticked.

A guttural moan reached everyone's ears as Gaara managed to steady himself on both feet. The young Suna genin now had his entire upper-body covered in a veritable mountain of sand, dollops of grainy particles periodically plopping loose due to the damage it had taken a moment earlier. There was now also a large _tail_ that sat above Gaara's butt.

With the exception of a patch of red hair, Gaara now heavily resembled the One-Tailed Ichibi. Even the boy's eyes held a sickly golden, four-point star inside a see of black. His bottom half though was still that of a human, giving him a disfigured hybrid-like look.

This worried the bloodthirsty _jinchuuriki's_ enemies, but didn't stop them.

" _ **Wind-style: Wind-scythe jutsu!**_ "

Another series of wind blades sliced through the air aimed at Gaara, but this time the hybrid was prepared. Rearing his head back, the monstrous red-head sucked in, and let loose an earth-shattering roar.

Temari's jutsu collided with the vocal burst and, to everyone's surprise, crumbled under the weight of what someone might consider a simple noise. But that wasn't all; the roar, after dispersing the wind blades, continued to travel. It's target: Temari.

The pony-tailed blonde managed to jump away in time but, was unprepared for the heavy blow that struck her open back, as Gaara's tail shot up from the ground and whacked her in mid-air.

The roar had been a distraction.

Temari was sent flying in her younger brother's direction, but before Gaara could continue his assault, Anko appeared and tackled the sandy-blonde out of the air. This angered the leaping demon-container, but Gaara was given something else to worry about as Naruto appeared next attempting to cleave him down the middle.

Gaara's tail had long since retracted, and so was used to block the over-head strike.

This left the red-head's other misshapen paws free to plow directly into Naruto's chest.

Except instead of sending the blonde rocketing back, Gaara's strike set off one of Naruto's newest techniques; the _**exploding shadow-clone**_. Another boom filled the air as the clone's target was blasted full-force by another explosion.

The hanyou was again shot back, but this time he recovered, and Gaara rolled into a series of flips before landing heavily on his feet.

From his new place on a branch the read-head quickly found himself the target of Anko's jutsu. The woman sent a hail of baseball-sized fireballs his way but, instead of trying to avoid them, Gaara unleashed a jutsu of his own.

" _ **Wind-style: Great-breakthrough!**_ "

Gaara's outstretched claws unleashed a mighty blast of air, one that easily overpowered Anko's _**phoenix-fire jutsu**_ , and carried so far that it shattered the tree she had been perched on.

With the Special-Jounin in the air now Gaara let a gross, slobbering smile work its way onto his face as he sucked in for his next jutsu. But the target was changed when motion straight ahead caught his eye.

Naruto was rushing him.

Dropping his head, Gaara let loose his attack: " _ **Wind-style: Vacuum air-bullet!**_ "

First, the red-head expelled a large shot of air in Naruto's oncoming direction, before following it up with another blast aimed for the still airborne Anko.

While gold eyes watched their female opponent twist away from the attack, they were soon drawn forward again as Naruto used his zanbato, once again, as a springboard that allowed him to haul himself over the devastating jutsu.

Gaara's tail shot out in an effort to skewer the blonde, but Naruto evaded it and _slid_ down the sandy appendage so he could reach his red-headed target.

Pushing off from the deformed forearm beneath him, Naruto whipped into a roundhouse-kick that struck the side of Gaara's head. The force of the blow sent the red-head's brain spinning, and gave Naruto time to use his own wind jutsu to rocket the Sun genin backwards.

Being rocketed off his feet Gaara soared through the air before he was hit in the back by another attack; this time by Temari.

" _ **Wind-style: Dance of the Dragon!**_ "

A series of fierce cyclones ripped through the air in the form of a dragon's claw. The jutsu buried itself smartly into Gaara's back, and Temari watched as it tore away enough of the sand for a moment to reveal her brother's clothed black.

With his back arched in pain Gaara's chest was wide open to the next blow that Anko went to strike herself. The violet-haired woman was coming in to unleash another explosive note combo, but was knocked back by a blinding headbutt. Then, the Special-Jounin was tossed aside by a fierce tail-whip.

"Enough!" Gaara shouted in blind fury. He was tired of being made a fool of!

Finding a spot to land, the red-head decided to go after his traitor of a sister first. So Gaara turned his attention on Temari, and with a speed one would think him incapable of, sent his arm thundering towards the exhausted older girl.

With her body banged up from Naruto's beating Temari had needed to stay back out of harms way; the save from Anko having further aggravated her injuries. Now, coupled with the chakra depletion brought on by using so many C-ranked ninjutsu, as well as her one B-rank, Temari was in no position to evade her brother's murderous attack.

All the sandy-blonde could manage was to throw her closed fan in front of her and let it take the initial force of the blow.

The sound of broken metal echoed throughout the forest.

Temari's fan caved instantly under the weight of Gaara's giant claw, and the Suna kunoichi was only allowed a nanosecond of shock before her brother's attack smashed into her, and then rammed her against the bark of a tree.

When the arm broke off and then reformed, the blurry-eyed Temari's cracked head dimly realized that Gaara had trapped her inside a slow-acting s _ **and-coffin**_. A modified version of the red-head's signature killing technique. Her body wracked with pain, and her head pounding from a concussion, the Kazekage's daughter still managed a notion of fear as she realized one thing...

Her brother was going to kill her.

Gaara's demonic eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty relish as he watched his own sister slowly, agonizingly, be compressed under the weight of his sand. All the while, in his head, mother was praising him with glee; loudly acknowledging his existence as she told him what a great job he was doing.

Although that all soon turned to fits of rage as a pack of wolves flushed out from the trees, and proceeded to pile on top of him.

Teeth and claws buried themselves inside the red-head's sand armor as a thick mist began to shroud over everything in sight. Soon, Gaara was reminded of his match with the blonde during the tournament, and he laughed.

"Come now, Naruto Uzumaki, do you truly believe this foolish parlor trick will work on me _now,_ when it failed so terribly the first time!?"

His only response was a soundless _**Water-dragon jutsu**_ to the chest.

The impact sent the red-headed _jinchuuriki_ flying into another attack; this time, a weighted sword thrust. Naruto's _Kubikiribocho_ rammed into Gaara's armor and, with the aid of the other clone's last jutsu, managed to ride all the way through to the flesh underneath.

Unfortunately, all Naruto managed was a gash along his opponent's side.

And yet with the level of pain it seemed to cause Gaara, the blonde black-clad blonde decided that was still good enough. With his job done, the next clone dispersed in a cloud of smoke.

While Suna's most powerful shinobi stood hunched over in pain, somewhere in the back of his brain an alert went off. Being told by his mother to always trust this feeling, the red-head arched his tail up in a block that kept him from losing his head.

Mentally Naruto cursed as his triple strike was cut short, and his position was given away. Rolling through the air, the blonde moved to the side of Gaara and tried for a sweep of his sword aimed at the other boy's human legs. This failed when he was whacked away by the very same tail he'd just been blocked by.

 _'Damn it, that things too fast!'_

Rolling to a crouch, Naruto sent chakra to his senses and stretched them. His ears picked up the sound of Gaara's hitched breathing, and the blonde worked through a series of hand-signs before sending out his next attack. _'Exploding water shock-wave.'_

As the diamond-cutting jet of water shot from his mouth, Naruto was surprised to find that it was stopped short of its goal by a wall of some sort.

And then frightened when Gaara's tail wound around his back in an attempt to gut him from behind. Jumping into the air, Naruto spewed more blood into his bandages as a giant fist of sand rammed into his still fractured ribs.

Fear and shock turned to horror when the blonde was slammed against the branch he'd just been on and he began to lose consciousness.

It was as his mist was dissipating that Naruto thought he saw Ten-Ten rush in to protect him.

 _ **xXx**_

Azure eyes fluttered open again and Naruto soon found himself floating along inside the shallow waters of a sewer.

Sloshing into a seated position, the blonde whipped his head around left and right in an effort to take stock of his new situation. Where had the battle gone?

And, more importantly, where was he?

The pain that he'd suffered still shot through his body, but Naruto noticed that it was more of a phantom pain now. Like an echo that faintly reached his nerves. It was a strange sensation, but one the formally battered blonde was thankful for.

Once he got to his feet the Leaf ninja ambled a few steps forward before a feeling in his gut urged him in the opposite direction.

Naruto felt his stomach twist into a knot as he turned his head to look behind him.

He was standing in a long pipeline, almost like a hallway, and the way he had intended to go was shrouded in dark shadows. But when the blonde moved to look behind him, his weary blue eyes widened to the size of billiards as they took in the image of a giant cage.

One that, where the keyhole should be, had a paper with the word 'seal' resting instead.

And that's when Naruto felt it. Power. Raw, destructive, _malevolent_ power the likes of which Konoha's strongest genin had never known. It was heart-stopping.

And it all seemed to belong to the two large eyes that stared down at him.

Eyes, he just _knew,_ belonged to the one-and-only Kyubi.

A set of fangs large enough to bite the heads off the Hokage Mountain gleamed for a moment before a thundering, demonic voice filled the young human's ears.

" _ **Hello, Naruto Uzumaki, I've been very excited to meet you."**_

The blonde in question could only stand there for a moment as his wide, unblinking eyes took in the full size of Konoha's most illustrious terror. The Nine-Tails was as big as a mountain, standing for sure at eye-level with his village's famous monument. Its entire body was covered in a ruddy, crimson fur with paws large enough to crush a house. And then there were the tails; all nine of the legendary Kyubi's fierce statements of power lashed languidly behind the demon's back.

There was only one thing Naruto could think to say when faced with such a fabled definition of power.

"Whoa."

Kyubi looked down his nose at the blonde that stood on the other side of his cage. In the time since his awakening inside the seal the great and terrible Nine-Tails had watched every day of Naruto Uzumaki's life. While at first the demon cursed the gods above for landing him with such a pathetic container, Kyubi gradually came to accept the boy as someone he may wind up tolerating.

Or at least, that's how he felt until just a moment ago.

Peering down his snout at the tiny human Kyubi growled, _**"Do you know exactly why it is you've been brought before me, human?"**_

Naruto had no idea, and shook his head accordingly. The last thing he remembered was battling Gaara before being knocked unconscious. How was he supposed to know it would land him in front of a _Biju_?

" _ **You are here because that insect of a Sand genin managed to overpower you; something I find most unacceptable. For one who thinks to call himself a demon, you seem incapable of handling even the weakest of my kin...it is most disgraceful."**_

"Hey!" Naruto rebuked in anger. "What the hell's that supposed to mean!? I was doing just fine up until he got the jump on me; and it's not like he was a sitting duck ya know. Gaara was using his Tailed-Beast."

Kyubi just looked upon Naruto as if the boy were a special child. _**"Then why didn't you?"**_

Naruto looked up, dumbfounded for a moment, before he seethed. "Because the last time you got loose, I completely blacked out. I can't remember anything about what I did to Haku after I lost control!"

The response the Nine-Tails gave was not what Naruto expected to hear.

" _ **Exactly; you lost control. Instead of harnessing the power you let it consume you, let MY rage and fury overtake your sense of reason. I am power incarnate boy, and as such, you cannot truly expect a puny human such as yourself to be able to just unleash my chakra so carelessly and control it do you?"**_

"So then how _do_ I use your power? Because right now I think I could really use it; especially if Gaara gets any stronger."

The mountain of a fox gave the blonde genin a devious smirk before answering.

" _ **Simple, you open yourself up to me. This seal can be loosened by you, and allow you access to a steady outflow of my chakra. However, you must not undo too much too soon or else you'll risk releasing me...something that, should it ever happen, will immediately cause your demise."**_

"Why are you telling me that?" Naruto asked skeptically. "I figured you'd want nothing more than to be free from me."

Kyubi chuckled before telling the blonde that, while in the beginning that was true, _now_ Naruto had become so interesting to him the fox wanted to see how far the genin could progress before making a final decision.

On his end Naruto still worried about the consequences of what he was about to do, but felt that if such power helped him protect Konoha, then he couldn't really be faulted for it...right?

The Nine-Tails watched gleefully as, after instructing him how, Naruto stepped up to the cage and reached his hand out. The sealed lock descended the length of the bars to meet him, and with tentative fingers the blonde pressed and then twisted.

There was a whirling sound, and then a burst of light, as a heavy force of power blew Naruto away from the cage and out of his own mind.

 _ **xXx**_

Ten-Ten was beyond exhausted. She had been tended to by the medics inside the infirmary after her match with Naruto, but her physical condition was still less than half.

Her broken bones were either wrapped, or treated enough to allow minimum movement while many of her lacerations and bruises had been taken care of immediately. However, her concussion was still present, and after jumping around in an effort to avoid Gaara's attacks it _and_ her bones were beginning to scream for a break.

But the bun-haired girl refused. She couldn't stop now, not when Naruto needed her help.

When the invasion had struck Ten-Ten recalled how she'd shoved a nurse out of her way before jamming a prepared needle into a disguised shinobi's eye. From there it was all a blur before meeting up with one of Naruto's clones.

It had informed her of what had been ordered by the higher-ranking ninja before telling her that the original was headed off to find Gaara.

Ten-Ten's eyes had settled into a determined glare before she rushed out to catch up with the blonde.

And now, after arriving on the scene as Naruto was being taken out of the game, Konoha's resident weapon expert had taken it upon herself to defend the unconscious blonde until he could fight again.

Although that was proving to be easier said than done.

She'd thrown everything she had at Gaara, going so far as to even unveil her new skills in ninjutsu by firing a small series of earth spikes from the ground with the _**Earth-missile jutsu**_ , as well as attempting to lance her opponent with the _Gatotsu_.

Ten-Ten cringed as she recalled the way her katana had snapped clean in half with that move.

Unfortunately, with her banged up body and insufficient repertoire of varying skills, the bun-haired brunette feared she wouldn't last much longer.

It was as she silently pleaded for help that Ten-Ten felt a pulse of malicious chakra wash over her.

And, from the looks of it, Gaara had felt it too because the red-head's demonic eyes had taken on a wide, frightened quality. Chancing that he was too stunned to attack, Ten-Ten turned her head in an effort to find the source...and felt her eyebrows leap into her hairline at what she saw.

Naruto, who had been unconscious moments before, now stood hunched with _Kubikiribocho_ resting almost lazily over his shoulders. His battle-torn trench-coat had been discarded, and the blonde's bare chest was left to rise and fall in steady rhythm. The bandages around his face slowly burned away as flaming orange arcs of chakra whipped wildly around his stooped frame. Once the wrappings were gone, Naruto's new fangs were easily visible, as were his feral-looking whiskers. Shaggy, blonde hair shadowed crimson orbs as vulpine-like pupils peered up to stare directly at Gaara.

Moving, Naruto stood at his full height and whipped the zanbato from his shoulders so that it pointed straight at the red-head a number of yards away.

Ten-Ten's chocolate-brown eyes watched, enraptured in fascination, as the chaotic red chakra seemed to settle and outline Naruto like a full-body halo. Stretching so far that it even settled over his sword. She looked on at the tense muscles that held up the heavy blade, and could hardly believe someone who was barely thirteen managed to level such a large weapon single-handedly.

Where had this power come from?

Both pairs of eyes watched as Naruto opened his mouth, and then listened as his gruff voice proclaimed his intent to finish Gaara.

" _ **This is the end of the line for you, Subaku no Gaara. You've come to my village with the intent to destroy it, and as the future Hokage I cannot allow that. I promise you, here and now, that I'll do everything in my power to stop you...even if it kills me."**_

Quick as lightning Naruto coiled his body, and then launched himself at the still-stunned _jinchuuriki_ of the Ichibi.

Or at least, that's what someone would have seen had they been able to keep up with the blonde's movements. Instead, all either Gaara or Ten-Ten could see was Naruto seemingly blinking out of sight before reappearing behind the hanyou.

But while he hadn't seen his enemy move, Gaara definitely felt the power of his attack as Naruto slammed him with a snap-kick.

From there the blonde seemed to phase into the rocketing red-head's flying form before smashing his fist into the Suna genin's stomach. It was here that Ten-Ten caught a glimpse something; Gaara's armor was flaking off.

With just two attacks, Naruto was breaking down the monstrous Sand ninja's greatest weapon.

Naruto wasn't finished yet though, and followed up by swinging his large sword up and clipping Gaara in the chin. The two-handed hold gave the blow twice as much power and sent the sand-covered demon-container soaring into the sky.

With a branch-breaking leap Naruto followed; vanishing just like the first time. But his form could briefly be seen as he twisted in the air and pounded his fist into the back of Gaara's head. But he still wasn't done. Seeming to teleport again, the ferocious blonde reappeared underneath his opponent's falling form and struck a vicious knee into the other boy's gut.

Blood and spittle flew from Gaara's moth in globs as he felt that last impact blow away large chunks of his mothers protection.

The red-head felt his power waning, and he managed a growl before swiping a paw at the blonde that stayed airborne with him. His first strike was blocked, unbelievably, by the Leaf genin's bare forearm before his second was stopped by a raised knee.

And then Gaara howled in pain as his left arm was hacked off, as if the large zanbato was cutting through hot butter.

His mother's sand quickly closed around the goring wound before forming itself into a deadly looking spear. The weapon of sand was thrust forward, in an attempt to pierce Naruto's heart, but it was stopped when the blonde used his swords executioner's hole to catch the attack before a jerk of the arm snapped it in two. Then Naruto whipped around, and sent Gaara flying once again with a roundhouse-kick.

When Gaara felt himself colliding with the trunk of a tree, the red-head also noticed that the impact shattered the last of his transformation. Crumpling to the branch below, the once feared Suna ninja gripped his stump of an arm with pure anguish on his face.

Never before had Gaara of the Sand known such a horrible feeling.

It burned. It pulsed. It... _hurt_.

And eventually, it became too much, and Gaara felt himself flutter into unconsciousness.

It had taken five years, but Subaku no Gaara had finally been defeated.

 _ **xXx**_

Stormy gray eyes, once filled with life and fire now looked on lifelessly as their owner lay dead atop a battered roof.

All around him, the now dead Hiruzen Sarutobi's loyal Anbu looked down on their former leader with hidden sadness; each of them thankful for their masks, as it hid the tears they now cried.

The Sandaime had fought a long, hard battle against his former student, the rogue genius and Sannin Orochimaru. And while the legendary 'Professor' held the raw power and experience, the aged Hokage was no longer in his prime. In the end, it was youth that won the day.

But not without cost.

Before his demise, the Third Hokage managed to strip Orochimaru of his most prized possessions. His jutsu. They, along with the use of his arms, were sealed inside the belly of the Death God.

With his main objective, the destruction of the Leaf, now beyond his grasp Orochimaru retreated.

And now, as a heavy rain began to settle over the war-torn village, the Anbu had to come up with a way to inform all Konoha's citizens that their beloved Sandaime was dead.

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: This one came out longer than I think any other chapter of the story, but I think it also was worth the time. I feel I did pretty good job dealing with the Sand/Sound invasion.**_

 _ **If anyone has any doubts about Sasuke's feat during the crash, take another look at Team 7's battle with Zabuza or even Naruto's battle with Pain; arrogance and underestimation almost always lead to downfall.**_

 _ **Not really anything I wanna say except that the exam arc is FINALLY OVER! Now, it's the Tsunade retrieval. That one will be no more than two chapters, I guarantee that. But I also hope you are looking forward to the introduction of Itachi, as well as Kisame's meeting Naruto.**_

 _ **Jiraiya will also be getting introduced next chapter, and he will actually be teaching Naruto the rasengan.**_

 _ **There will be reveals next chapter that detail what happened to certain character, like Kankuro, so for anyone who was wondering there's your answer.**_

 _ **Alright, I think that's it, so lets get all those reviews and PM's so I can hear how I did. Oh, and I wanna thank everyone who had pushed my fav/follow numbers over 2,000. It really means a lot, and I hope to reach 3,000 soon.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm putting this here to let everyone know that I'm sorry for confusing so many of you, but I wanted to revise the story. I've changed some details, like the time line between the Wave mission and the chunin exams, to better have things make sense.**_

 _ **There should be no more playing with the chapters, and I hope you guys enjoy this new installment.**_

Demon of the Hidden Leaf

 _ **Ch. 22- Return of the Morning Mist**_

 _ **xXx**_

Sharp, serpentine eyes strained to stay open.

Orochimaru pressed his forehead against the wet, cool tiles of his personal shower in an effort to fight off the heavy burning sensations coming from his arms.

The two, once lethal, appendages hung slack as if they were strung with weights. Where once there was ghost-white skin, now lay purple dead flesh. Skin had already begun peeling, revealing tar-like blood that oozed from seemingly every pore and vessel.

Lifeless fingers twitched pathetically as their owner hissed in agony.

The water pouring from the shower-head wasn't helping at all!

Orochimaru grit his teeth to keep from screaming; it would not do to let his minions hear him acting so weak. And instead slammed his shoulder against the side wall, and then sliding down to the bottom of his shower.

As the ice-cold spray pelted down on him, the infamous Sannin let his mind wander in another effort to escape the pain. Orochimaru let himself think back to his failed invasion.

Yes, he would admit, it had been a long shot. Because while he'd managed to procure the full force of Suna's ninja force, the rouge-ninja knew that combined with his own forces the army only matched _half_ of Konoha's over-all military strength.

And that was without taking into account the skill-level of most of those ninja.

 _'If only I'd been able to bring Kimimaro,'_ Orochimaru thought in resigned anger. If he'd been able to bring that young man, Orochimaru had no doubt the last Kaguya could have easily decimated almost the entire Konoha force single-handedly. But it was not to be.

And yet, despite the initial failure of his invasion plan, Konoha's former head of R&D department still managed a slick smile as he recalled his _other_ objective.

The death of his former sensei, and Konoha's Sandaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

 _'The only one in that whole village with the power to stop me is gone now,'_ the Snake-Sannin thought in hideous glee. _'And now, with neither he nor that fool Minato to save them, Project Rebirth will crush the Leaf!'_

With his dream of the Leaf's demise within his grasp Orochimaru leans his head back against the wall and lets loose a maniacal laugh.

Yes, now all he needed to do was track down Tsunade to fix his arms, and then his plan could begin.

 _ **xXx**_

The ex-Leaf shinobi wasn't the only one getting lost in his thoughts. The whole of his former village were also heavy with emotion. Only, in their case, that feeling was sadness.

Something that the world itself must have been feeling because the days following what has become known as the Konoha Crash, the sky above the Elemental Nations greatest village was shrouded in darkness. Black clouds, heavy with rain, seemed to be crying alongside those who mourned for their former Hokage.

It was a light, dreary sort of downpour. One that softly pelted the multitude of ninja who were paying their respects to the dead Hiruzen.

One that matched the tears streaming down Naruto Uzumaki's cheeks.

Naruto, dressed in a black funeral kimono had long since rested his white rose atop the dead Kage's grave, and now stood in line with the rest of the viewers he'd been assigned to. His groups turn was almost over.

The funeral procession would take all day. Ninja would come in per-assigned groups, while civilians would be allowed to come by at their availability so that everyone would get a chance to pay their respects or say their piece.

But while the memorial was beautiful, Naruto could feel nothing but sadness. His azure eyes were tinted with the dark traces of a sleepless night.

Because no matter who he may become, Naruto Uzumaki would always remember being that little boy who cried into the shoulder of his Hokage. The first person to treat him, not like a monster, but like a person...a _human_.

And now he was gone.

For Naruto it was the first time he'd ever dealt with personal loss, as he had never known his parents. And because of this the blonde was forced to deal with it alone. To the best of his ability the young Leaf-ninja swallowed down what he was feeling, and instead focused on his next move.

That had been two weeks ago and now Naruto in the street walking over to the Yamanaka flower shop. He and the platinum-blonde had agreed to work through her first kill together during the invasion the weeks before. The whiskered genin saw her inside talking to her parents but, before he could finish making his way over, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Looking from the gloved hand, and up towards the owner, azure eyes were met with the sight of Kakashi.

The ex-Anbu Captain had also dressed in funeral clothes but now returned to active duty. And yet, while his mask was still present, Kakashi's normally ever-present book of porn was nowhere to be found.

"Whatever business you have with Ino is going to have to wait Naruto; you're needed. The Shinobi Council has called a meeting."

"About the next Hokage?" Naruto questioned morosely.

Kakashi surprised the blonde by shaking his head. "Yes, but also...about chunin promotions."

Naruto had been allowed to stop by his apartment to change and so, after fitting himself into a new set of clothes, the two Leaf shinobi made their way towards the academy building. It was as they crossing rooftops that Kakashi voiced his thoughts on the genin's new look.

"What happened to the outfit you chose for the finals? I'd assumed that was your next new look Naruto."

The young ninja's head shook in the negative before explaining his latest change. "I'd worn that as a way to excite the crowd, and make me look interesting to those foreign contractors. And I also thought it'd be a nice way to give credit to Anko for her training."

Nodding in understanding, and chuckling at that last bit of information, Kakashi asked about happened to his first outfit. "And I see you've brought back the orange."

With a questioning eyebrow Naruto looked down at his newest outfit. The blonde was dressed in a high-collared sleeveless white shirt that was striped along the ribs and shoulders with burnt-orange, and fitted black pants that ended at his black ankle boots and were also trimmed in orange along the sides. Naruto had left the top of his shirt undone, revealing that he had an undershirt lined with the same male that had been interwoven into his cloak underneath. On his wrists were black wrappings like the white ones Kurenai wore. And finally, the wrappings around his face had not been returned after being burned away as he battled Gaara.

The young ninja's zanbato had been left at home.

Looking back at his sensei, Naruto gave a frail, but cheeky grin as he told the man, "Is it wrong if I missed my favorite color?"

Kakashi gave a lighthearted chuckle despite the gray atmosphere around them and replied, "No, in fact, I think it looks better on you than those dark colors. Although I am surprised you've taken to wearing your headband around your arm."

And indeed he had. Naruto's newest fashion choice also included moving his blue-clothed hiati-ate to his left bicep. This had the added effect of leaving his wild, flame-like blonde locks wafting as he moved.

"Oh, yeah, I just thought of trying something new. I've decided that, the best way for me to honor Zabuza's name is by enhancing the reputation of his title, which I can still do while staying true to myself."

 _'And I just really don't feel like dressing like some sort of Grim Reaper right now,'_ Naruto thought darkly to himself.

Kakashi nodded his understanding before asking his student about his new whiskers. "I didn't know they grew Naruto."

This set Konoha's jinchuurikion edge; he was hoping no one would notice. Something that had happened after his brawl with Gaara, after being pumped with Kyubi's chakra, had been the thickening of his whiskers. His senses had also taken a jump, which he'd discovered after smelling how filthy his apartment really was, to the level of when he originally needed chakra for it.

Naruto understood that this was the price he was paying for using the Nine-Tails' power, but that didn't mean he liked it.

He'd attempted trying to talk with the monstrous fox again, but the young teen had found that he was unable to recreate the connection. So, Naruto resigned himself to dealing with it for now.

Or at least, that's what he'd decided _before_ this moment.

"Oh," he answered quickly, "yeah. I normally just trim them down, but with everything that's been going on and since I was wearing those bandages I just forgot."

"Well, it certainly makes you look more... _feral_ ," Kakashi carefully complimented. "Just, be careful with the rest of the villagers seeing that Naruto. They...well, they may not take too well to the new look."

Naruto surprised the older shinobi by scoffing in reply to that warning.

"What they _think_ doesn't mean anything anymore. They're either going to like me or they won't, so I'm just going to be the best ninja I can while working towards honoring Zabuza and becoming the Hokage."

This answer shocked the masked Jounin. From the minute Naruto introduced himself the blonde had boasted loudly about how he would make the entire village respect him.

What happened? When had his knuckle-headed student become so grown up?

"That's...very mature of you Naruto. I'm proud of how you've grown in such a short time and, just so you know, it's moments like this that will make the Council believe you'll make a great Hokage one day."

For his part the young ninja in question could only give his Jounin instructor a look of amazement; other than Iruka-sensei no one had ever told him such things before. it made him think that maybe, just maybe, he really could become the Hokage.

It didn't take the duo much longer after that to reach the academy, and after being ushered inside by Kakashi, Naruto began to make his way towards the Council meeting room.

For some reason, the blonde had a knotted feeling he couldn't shake.

Like this day was going to hold a lot more than just the possibility of promotion.

 _ **xXx**_

When he and Kakashi finally entered the room they were looking for, Naruto was surprised to find that he wasn't the only genin in the room. Along with himself, the young Uzumaki's azure eyes found Shikamaru and Hinata as well.

Other than his fellow genin, Naruto saw that there were three elderly figures seated at the head of a concession of men and women the blonde suspected were the Shinobi Council.

"I've retrieved genin Uzumaki as you've requested," Kakashi announced to the various clan heads.

It was a man covered in bandages that answered the Copy-Ninja. "Good, thank you Kakashi. I understand our request may seem...immediate, given what has recently befallen our village, but surely you understand the necessity of it."

The Jounin in question simply shrugged as he answered, "I suppose so; keep up appearances and all that. Although, don't you think we should wait until we've acquired a new Hokage before making promotions?"

"Normally, yes, we would agree with you." This response came from the other old man, who sat to the right of the bandaged elder, he had a head of wild gray hair and wore glasses.

"However, as you've already said, we must retain our place as the strongest village and to do so we'll have to show we can manage making decision even in the face of tragedy."

"Besides," the bandage-covered elder spoke up again, "it wouldn't do to send a mere genin on the next mission this Council has in mind."

This peaked Shikamaru's interest, and with a raise of his hand he asked, "And just what mission would that be? Because if it's too much of a drag I'm just gonna go ahead and say right now that I don't want it."

It was a new voice, one that came from _behind_ Naruto, that answered that question.

"The mission to come with me and retrieve our new Hokage."

All eyes turned, and Naruto's head swiveled, to look at who had spoken. And while most in the room knew the man they found, the genin had no clue.

The speaker was tall, easily dwarfing even Kakashi, and _large_. His body, while dressed oddly, was no doubt built with muscle. He had a large mane of pure-white hair that was pulled into a knee-length pony-tail whose bangs were pushed back by a horned headband with the word 'oil' engraved on it. The man's torso was clothed in a green kimono and red haori, with a mesh suit underneath. His lower-body was covered by matching green pants and red wooden sandals. Over his shoulder was a strap, which was used to carry a large scroll over his back.

"And who are you?" Shikamaru asked in disinterest.

Who was this guy, and what made him qualified to look for the next Hokage?

It was Kakashi who answered both the Nara heir's spoken, as well as unspoken, question. "So you've made it Lord Jiraiya, did you just get in this morning?"

"Yeah," the newly introduced Jiraiya answered. "Sarutobi sent me that message back during what I guess was the second stage of the chunin exams, but I was stuck deep under cover and couldn't get away until lately."

Before Kakashi could say anything on the subject though, Naruto frowned and asked his own question.

"Deep cover? What kind of mission could have been more important that you weren't here for when your Hokage needed you?"

The way he seethed between his teeth set many in the room on edge.

Kakashi saw this immediately, and tried to cool the blonde's fury. "Now wait Naruto, you don't understand—"

"No Kakashi," Jiraiya cut him off. "Let the kid talk; I wanna hear what he has to say."

The stern look the older man gave him quickly had the Jounin closing his masked mouth. Kakashi could clearly see the look in the Sannin's eyes, and decided both the man and his student needed this.

When Jiraiya turned his attention back to the blonde, Naruto was ready to jump down his throat.

Only for another voice to cut through their conversation. This time, it was one of the elders.

"As much as I'm sure you would enjoy the verbal battle Lord Jiraiya, you must remember, we are in a bit of a hurry." The old woman spoke.

The Sannin kept his eyes on a scowling Naruto but addressed one of the male elders. "I thought for sure you would throw your own hat into the ring Danzo; what's wrong, afraid Orochimaru will come for you next?"

It was revealed to the chunin hopefuls that 'Danzo' was the man covered in bandages. As the elder looked down from his raised seat and answered, "Certainly not. I just feel that, given the circumstances, someone of more renown is needed to fill the role for now. With Tsunade as the next Hokage, Konoha will be seen as the phoenix; a powerful rebirth from old ashes."

Jiraiya made a show of not looking convinced, but conceded due to the importance of the moment.

"Alright then," Shikamaru's father spoke up. "If you all are done introducing yourselves we can get this meeting over with. I've got an angry wife at home and, longer I'm away, the longer it's gonna take to defuse her."

With no other business, the chunin vests were handed out to all genin in the room. Hinata was the first to receive the honor, and was pleasantly surprised when it was her own father who presented the promotion to her.

"You do your clan, as well as your village, proud this day Hinata." Hiashi Hyuga commended his oldest child, an undertone of pride hidden inside his usually stoic words.

Knowing her father to be a man of few words Hinata did not feel any less elation when his speech consisted only of those words. In fact, to hear him verbally praise her ability in front of so many important figures only made her feel that much more accomplished. She had earned her father's respect.

Hinata had found she was right to forgo her usually heavy jacket, as when she slipped into her new flak jacket and zipped it up the Hyuga heiress found that, if she had brought it, the bulky clothing would have made for a tight fit.

Once the young kunoichi stepped back Shikamaru stepped forward next, receiving his promotion from his own father. Like with Hinata, the Nara heir received few words, but Shikaku did compliment them with a strong hug. It was always a proud day when one's child was acknowledged for their growth, and even the lazy Nara clan were no exception to that rule.

But then, with Shikamaru's turn done, Naruto knew he was to be next.

And while he was truly excited for the promotion, and glad to see his hard work paying off, the young blonde couldn't help feeling that it would be a hollow victory. As there would be no loving parents to personally hand and congratulate him; it would be done stiffly and by the book. No warmth. No love.

It was with these thoughts that Naruto stepped into the spotlight. And while he attempted not to show it, all those old enough could see behind his mask. They could see his sadness.

At least, until someone else came crashing through the door.

"Sorry, I kinda overslept. I didn't miss it did I?"

It was Anko.

Although, from her disheveled appearance any outsider would be hard pressed to believe the woman they were seeing was the same one that had defeated Baki of Suna. Her normally provocative clothing was replaced by loose-fitting lavender pajama bottoms that pooled around her feet and an over-sized white t-shirt. Even Anko's usual fanning pony-tail was absent; in its place a messy tangle of bedhead.

Naruto saw the way she was dressed and couldn't keep from cracking an amused smile. In the month before the finals he and the snake-mistress had formed a close friendship, and the blonde knew he'd always have a soft spot for the older woman's crazy antics.

"You just barely made it, Special-Jounin Mitarashi, young Naruto was next to be promoted." Danzo informed her.

Anko let out a very strong breath of relief as she threw her whole head back in a show. But when her gaze left the ceiling, the woman's warm brown eyes locked with Naruto's own blue pair and she smiled.

That smile turned into a sheepish grin as, ruffling her messy hair in embarrassment, Anko told him, "I hope you don't mind Naruto but...I asked the Council if I could present your vest to you. Ya know, since I couldn't have my own team enter or anything, but I got to train you, and you won. So..."

Naruto felt his face morph into a wide-eyed look of disbelief, before it shifted to one of warmth as the blonde stuttered a response.

"U-Uh yeah, that's fine Anko-sensei. In fact, that's great."

Giving her blonde charge a smile of her own, Anko made her way over towards the elders. Although because of her state of dress, the woman's normally swaying hips and sassy steps were exchanged for a slow shuffle so as not to trip. After being handed an unusually worn flak jacket, the Special-Jounin moved to stand in front of Naruto.

It was then that she saw the look in his eyes; like he was being given a backhanded promotion with such a beaten vest. Remembering what she'd been told the day before, Anko smiled gently as she went about holding out the vest.

"Naruto Uzumaki, for showing not only strength but also sharp intelligence, as well as your tremendous services to the village of Konoha I am more than proud to present you with the very same flak jacket worn...by your father."

Whatever words he had been expecting, those last three were definitely not it.

This was shown when the newly minted chunin's hands, which had been reaching out to take said jacket, stopped short while their owner's eyes popped and his mouth hit the floor.

His mouth still hung open, Naruto's eyes flickered from the padded vest up to look at Anko's. With shuddering breaths he asked, "W-What did you j-just say?"

"Your father Naruto," the Special-Jounin confirmed. "The old crows told me about it when I asked them to let me promote you; this chunin vest belonged to your father, and he wanted you to have it the day you yourself achieved the rank."

All eyes in the room could clearly see how hard the young blonde was trying not to cry by this point.

Naruto let his head drop so that his growing head of blonde locks covered his eyes, but the young chunin's hands jerked back to life, and slowly took hold of the jacket before bringing it to be pressed against his chest.

Never one for sentimentality, Danzo only let this go on for another few seconds before clearing his throat. "Yes, and we've also got something else for you chunin Uzumaki, but first we must decide which one of you three will be accompanying Lord Jiraiya on this important mission."

It was the Sannin himself who answered that question.

"While I'm sure both clan heir's have an exemplary amount of skill, I've read the reports on all three young shinobi and wish for Naruto here to be the one coming along with me. Hopefully to no offense to either of you two?" He finished with a questioning look to both Hinata and Shikamaru.

"Unless my first refusal was only in my head, I think I've already turned down this offer," Shikamaru told the oddly-dressed ninja. "It sounds like a real drag."

"And Hinata would not be available for it at this time," Hiashi answered for his daughter. "As she has a very important meeting with me after this, followed by an extensive round of new training."

Hinata looked to her father with a look of confusion, as he had not told her about any of this beforehand, but simply voiced a quick agreement when he gave her a firm nod.

"Very well then," Danzo concluded. "Then you two are free to go while young Uzumaki will stay behind to be briefed on his first mission as a chunin."

It took no other words to get both Hinata and Shikamaru out the door, with Hiashi telling his daughter to await his return at their home. Once the two younger shinobi made their exit, it was Jiraiya this time who had something for Naruto.

The white-haired Sannin walked over to the now composed blonde and held out a thick roll of parchment, an envelope tied to the scroll with a piece of twine.

"The vest is from your father, but this scroll and letter are from your mother. Like your old man, she too wanted these held until you advanced past the rank of genin. Since her specialty was kenjutus, her gift to you was the dances of her family...your family."

Just as before Naruto found his hands shaking as he took hold of his gift, only this time he managed to keep his tears at bay.

Jiraiya noticed this and said, "I'd recommend waiting until you're alone before opening the letter kid; she wrote it herself, and while I may not know what's in it, I have no doubt it'll turn on the tears. Probably worse than your dad's vest with how sappy she was."

That last bit caught Naruto's attention.

"You knew my mom?"

"We all did Naruto." This came, surprisingly, from Tsume Inuzuka.

"She and my wife were usually paired with young Sasuke's mother Mikoto for mission," Hiashi Hyuga informed the blonde. "Together they made for quite a formidable force."

"Kushina was also the one who instructed many of our greatest kenjutsu users today; one of which happened to have been the man you met during the second exam." Anko rounded the memories out, recalling the red-headed beauty from her time before leaving Konoha with Orochimaru.

 _'Kushina,'_ Naruto thought, rolling the name around in his head. His mother had a beautiful name.

Jiraiya's voice interrupted those thoughts though as he spoke again. "All those things are true Naruto, and I'll tell you more about her during the mission, but we really do need to get moving if we don't want Tsunade to get away from us."

Being reminded that he had a job to do, and that there would be time for reminiscing later, Naruto slipped on his new flak jacket before turning his full attention to the Sannin beside him.

"Alright then, let's hear it."

 _ **xXx**_

While Naruto was being briefed, somewhere inside the village a pair of cloaked figures were sitting in a tea shop.

Both wore traditional rice hats with paper streamers to further conceal their faces. The only difference between the two's state of dress being that, the shorter of pair, had bells dangling from his hat.

"I don't see why we don't just nab the kid now," the taller figure questioned in a clearly male tone. Across his back he carried a large, wrapped sword, and as he reached out for his teacup one could see that his skin was an odd blue color.

The shorter of the two kept his eyes trained on the small tray of dango sitting in front of him as he answered in a cool tone. "Because simply walking around the village would be foolish. He may not be hard to find, but with shinobi the likes of Kakashi Hatake wandering about we would be hard pressed to stay hidden if he puts up a fight. No, we'll get him when we're sure he's alone"

"I guess," the blue-skinned man agreed, "but I don't like it. I wanna see just what this kid's made of, see if the rumors are true."

"You will get your chance; just be patient."

 _ **xXx**_

Naruto exited the Council chambers through a side exit, flak jacket settled over his torso, and made his way back towards the village. He had been asked to pack for his newest assignment, and be ready to leave within the hour.

Knowing he had enough time, Naruto turned back and walked into the academy. Using his memory from the parent-teacher night, the blonde quickly found the room he was looking for and gave a gentle knock.

The instructor inside looked over at him through the little window, a look of annoyance at being interrupted on her young face, before she walked over and opened the door.

"Can I help you?" She questioned with a begrudging respect. The blonde was a chunin now after all.

"Yes, sorry to disturb you but—"

"Big brother!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly at his fellow chunin before peering around her and finding who he was looking for. "Isa-chan, hey, I need to talk to you for a second."

"We are in the middle of a very important lesson Uzumaki-san, can't it wait?"

"I'm sorry, but no. I've got a mission taking me out of the village and I need to talk to let her know; please, it'll only take a minute." The blonde chunin offered a hopeful smile at the older woman standing in the door, and gave a thankful one when she relented.

Isaribi made her way down happily from the the fourth row and down to stand beside her onii-san.

Kneeling down to be at eye-level with the younger girl, Naruto offered a smile as he told her about his promotion.

"Big brother that's great!" The scale-covered academy student launched herself into the blonde's vest-covered torso and gave him a big hug. She and the newly minted chunin snuggled a bit before Naruto pulled back again, this time with a regretful smile.

"But there's a problem with that; I already have a mission Isa-chan. They want me to head out of Konoha with another shinobi to find the next Hokage, so I won't be here for a while."

Isaribi looked at her onii-san with wide, puppy eyes as she whimpered. "W-What? B-But what about me, what am I gonna do?"

Naruto could see she was thinking he was leaving her again, so the blonde quickly put her fears to rest.

"Oh, Isa-chan, don't worry about a thing. I've already asked Anko-sensei to watch you while I'm gone okay? She'll take great care of you, okay?"

"W-What if Anko-san get a mission too, w-what'll happen then?" She wailed quietly.

The girl's guardian shushed as he pet her violet locks. He had taken her to a salon to have the mess taken care of, and now the nest had been turned into a soft head of hair. "No worries there either, my little mermaid, she's taken time off so she could watch you. She won't be going anywhere while I'm away."

This finally assuaged the little kunoichi in-training's fears to rest. With her onii-san's word given she knew everything would turn out okay, and that allowed her to calm down.

Then, with one last hug Naruto motioned for her to head back to her seat before waving one last time and leaving to get packed.

Deciding that, if he was quick enough, he could meet with Ino after packing the blonde chunin raced home.

Being sure to take only what was needed, Naruto managed to leave himself with a little over a half hour to spare. He made a mad dash for Ino's home.

The ringing of the bell above the door alerted the young girl behind the counter that she had a customer, and when Ino Yamanaka looked up from her magazine she was surprised to find a young man who looked familiar walking into her store.

It was only when she noticed his whiskers that the heiress realized who it was.

"N-Naruto? Is that you?"

Said blonde gave a bright smile as he returned the greeting. "Yep, I came by to see how you were doing. Sorry I wasn't able to stop by sooner, the village contracted me to use my _**shadow-clones**_ to help in rebuilding the village. I was even payed for my services."

Ino raised a brow in thought; she did recall seeing a copy of her fellow blonde at seemingly ever street corner.

"That's great Naruto," she offered another smile. "But, and I don't mean to sound rude, what made you think to check up on _me_?"

Here Naruto's look morphed into one of tentative seriousness.

"I remembered the promise I made you during the invasion; about helping you through your first kill. Again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to speak with you...although, you seem fine Ino."

The Yamanaka heiress' powder-blue eyes flashed with the memory of that day, before softening as she sent Naruto a grateful look. "You don't have to apologize Naruto, we were all busy after...what happened. And if I seem fine it's because I did talk about what happened; with my daddy."

At the chunin's questioning look Ino elaborated.

"I-I had a nightmare about what happened; it wasn't the first time, just this one was _really_ bad. Daddy said I'd been screaming, and wouldn't stop fussing, so when he finally got me up and asked me what was wrong I told him. We stayed up all night talking."

"That's great Ino," Naruto told her. "I'm glad you got to vent to someone, and the added bonus that it was your dad was probably a big help huh?"

Ino nodded in agreement before her face took on a look of apprehension. She settled her right hand against the opposite arm and rubbed it in a show of anxiety. Naruto noticed this immediately and asked what was wrong.

"Well, during our talk daddy asked if...i-if I still wanted to be a shinobi. I told him I wasn't sure."

Hearing this Naruto's own blue eyes filled with shock. She was thinking of giving up on being a ninja?

"B-But Ino, why?"

"Because Naruto, when my father asked me what my reason had been for entering the academy I was ashamed to tell him it had been to get a chance at meeting Sasuke. I'd seen him around the village a few times, and when I learned he was entering the academy it seemed like the perfect way to get to know him. I-I didn't ever actually give any thought to what sort of life I'd be leading if I became a shinobi."

This explanation rocked Naruto's world. The young Leaf-ninja had never thought anyone in the academy would be there for anything _other_ than to become a member of the village's ninja force.

It just seemed...unreal. Foolish even.

"S-So then what _do_ you want to do Ino? If not a shinobi, then what path do you see your life taking?"

"That's just it Naruto; I don't know. I mean, I don't _hate_ working in my family's shop, since I do love flowers, but working here forever wouldn't make me happy. But on the other hand, the only other thing I know is being a ninja and I don't think I can kill someone again. I-I don't know what to do—I don't even know why I'm telling _you_ of all people."

Naruto gave his fellow blonde a sympathetic look, trying to convey that he empathized with her pain before giving his reply.

"It's probably because, while we may not exactly be friends, you and I have never really been enemies either Ino. I'm like an unbiased third opinion; your dad would tell you to follow your heart, but internally want you to take the safest route while a friend like Sakura would most likely try and use joking to make you think what your going through isn't so bad."

Ino took on a thoughtful expression at his words, but when she didn't interrupt Naruto took that as a cue to keep going.

"As for what you should do, I'd tell you to take some time for yourself before really coming to any conclusive decision. Try different things, read a few books or even articles, learn about other professions that have to do with things you _already_ like. Then, take a good long look at yourself and think about what you want; what you really want, and will make you happy. If it's a life with Sasuke, then find out what he surrounds his life with and use that to connect with him while still staying true to yourself...just so long as you remember not to change yourself just to get someone's attention. Because at that point they aren't worth it."

Naruto finished his advice with a gentle, but knowing smile. One that let Ino know that his last words were spoken with experience; his past feelings for Sakura. Knowing this, the platinum-blonde came from around the counter and set her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry that Sakura never noticed what a great guy you are Naruto," Ino offered before looking sheepish. "And I'm sorry for anything mean I've ever said about you during the academy, I-I didn't see the real you back then either."

The blonde chunin was caught off-guard by the heiress' apology, as well as her kindness, but recovered quickly. Reaching up, Naruto let his own calloused hand hold the soft one covering his shoulder.

"It's alright Ino, I know you didn't really mean any of it. Your eyes never held any true animosity towards me, and that's more than enough of an apology for me."

The look her fellow blonde gave her caused Ino's face to color a delicate pink, while the feel of his hand enveloping hers caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. However, before she could think to say anything else, the bell signaling a customer rang and a new voice filled the electrified silence. Effectively killing the mood.

"There you are gaki; I've been looking all over for you. Flirt with your girlfriend on your own time, we've gotta head out, and what sort of chunin would you be if the first mission you were given turned out to be a failure?"

Ino jumped at the newcomer's voice, squeaking as she pulled her hand from Naruto's grip.

Said blonde turned his body with a scoff, azure eyes finding the form of Jiraiya waiting for him at the entrance of the shop.

"Yeah, yeah you old goat I'm ready if you are, so let's go. Besides, _you_ were the one who told _me_ you had something important to do first." The look in Naruto's eyes spoke volumes of how little he believed the Sannin's story.

But before the large man could defend himself, Ino found her voice again as she shockingly pointed to Naruto's vest. She would later admonish herself for being so distracted by his looks that she'd missed it.

"You got promoted Naruto?"

"That's right little lady," Jiraiya butted back in. "And he's already about to be in trouble if we don't get a move on. He can regale you with all the _fascinating_ details later, but for right now he needs to come with me."

"Geeze calm down, I'm coming." Naruto breathed out his frustration before looking to Ino again. He offered her another smile, this time apologetic, before telling her he really did have to go.

"I'll see you later Ino; maybe we can continue this with some lunch when I get back?"

"Y-Yeah Naruto, that sounds good. I-I'll see you when you get back."

With one final wave the blonde chunin left the flower shop, not knowing that he was leaving with a string attached to the Yamanaka heiress' heart. And back inside, among her flowers, Ino cupped the hand he'd held to her chest, blushing lightly at the feel of her own rapid heart...and the image of that smile playing over in her head.

 _ **xXx**_

"I warned you this would happen," a cool voice calmly admonished the person beside them.

The two cloaked figures from the tea shop were staring down a pair of Konoha Jounin. Standing no more than a few meters in front of them stood Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi.

"Can you really blame me for wanting to have a little fun?" The blue-skinned assailant questioned in an excited tone.

"He can when it draws the attention of some one the Leaf's strongest Jounin," Asuma scoffed. "Now I won't ask nicely again; who are you, and what are you doing here?"

It was the shorter of the pair who answered. And when he did, both Konoha elites felt themselves freeze. "Could it not simply be my desire to see my home again Asuma, Kurenai?"

As he spoke, the obviously young man reached his purple-painted fingers up and took hold of his rice hat. Then, slowly pulling it from its place atop his head, he revealed a face that neither Jounin ever expected to see again.

The young man was no older than nine-teen, and possessed an unnaturally handsome face that was framed by a head of jet-black hair with a central part. There were pronounced tear-troughs under both his eyes and, while these things were distinctive in describing the young man, it was in fact his eyes that made him stand out.

His _Sharingan_ eyes.

"I-Itachi...Uchiha."

Asuma barely managed to get the name past his lips, the cigarette between them falling to the bridge they were standing on due to the shock.

Kurenai could only look at the teen in front of her in disbelief. She had heard the stories, listened to the rumors, but never had the genjutsu mistress ever actually met the Uchiha prodigy. And while she'd seen Kakashi's own implanted dojutsu before, there was something...chilling about the way Itachi seemed to make the copy-wheel eye look.

Almost... _mesmerizing_.

At least until a chuckle broke the trance, and drew the woman's own crimson orbs to the Uchiha's partner.

"Look at that Itachi, you didn't even have to try and the famed 'genjutsu mistress' of the shinobi world was almost caught by those crazy eyes of yours." The taller man reached his own hand up before removing his hat, and revealing a face both Jounin had seen numerous times in the Bingo Book.

Kisame Hoshigaki; S-ranked criminal and former Seven Swordsman of Kiri.

He was clearly the older of the two, and did indeed have blue skin; which, when pared with his sharp teeth and curved markings under his eyes gave him a very shark-like appearance. The former Mist-ninja's beady eyes stared across at his enemies with vigor, easily radiating the man's desire for a fight.

But just as Kisame was reaching for his sword, Itachi's voice halted him.

"I suggest you both step aside; I have no desire to kill you."

Asuma made a noise in the back of his throat. "Coming from a guy who butchered his own people I find that a bit hard to swallow. In fact, just seeing you walk right in here after what you did makes me sick."

"You two are both high-ranked criminals," Kurenai finally managed after finding her voice. "The fact you're both together, dressed in whatever uniform that is, can't just be for nothing. So I suggest you tell us before this gets ugly."

Kisame finally found his blade's handle and swung it from his back, smashing it against the ground in front of him.

Grinning ferociously he asked, "You know, these two are really starting to get on my nerves. Can I kill them?"

Itachi remained his cool mask as he told his partner, "Since it seems like they refuse to step aside I suppose so. Just remember, we don't have time for games, so this will need to be quick."

"They're as good as _dead_."

With a show of tremendous speed Kisame heaved his massive sword up, and ran it forward in an effort to drive it through Asuma's chest. While the Konoha Jounin managed to side-step this opening strike, this did nothing to deter the rouge-ninja and just caused him to turn the attack into follow through. Pulling back, Kisame came back with a hard slash through the air.

Asuma saw this and unleashed his own weapon of choice; trench-knifes. Bringing his large arms up in a cross-block, the bearded Jounin grunted as his foes heavy blade came slamming down on his.

And yet, despite it only being the man's one arm, Kisame had Asuma's arms buckling under the former Mist-ninja's strength. A deadly reminder of the rogue-ninja's nickname; Monster of the Hidden Mist. Asuma began to sweat as he felt Kisame's wrapped blade touch down on his forearm, and silently prayed for Kurenai to hurry.

The woman in question had just leaped back and had performed the hand-signs for a genjutsu when Kisame tensed his muscles, and with a fabulous show of ruthlessness whipped his sword back. Asuma let out a cry of pain as his bicep was torn through by the rouge's newly revealed blade.

"My massive blade, Shark-skin. As you can see it doesn't slice, it _cuts_ _you_ _to_ _ribbons_!"

Asuma looked on as his adversary prepared for another assault, but grinned triumphantly when he noticed the man stating to flail. _'About time, Kurenai.'_

"What the, what is this!?"

While to the Konoha Jounin there was nothing there, in Kisame's mind he found himself being dragged down in a pit of quicksand.

And while that went on, Itachi soon found himself being bound by a large tree.

Kurenai, who had become invisible moments before, reappeared from within her signature genjutsu with a kunai in hand. Angling the knife, the red-eyed beauty declared victory. "This is the end of the line for you two."

"Had we been any other ninja, you may be correct." Itachi's voice never wavered, there was no sense of fear in his eyes, and as he spoke his next words both Jounin learned why. "However, genjutsu of this level has no effect on me."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Kurenai found that _she_ had been inside of _Itachi's_ genjutsu!

"Now it's over."

Seeing the young man rushing towards her, kunai in hand, Kurenai quickly bit down hard on her lip. The stinging pain snapped her out of the genjutsu, and she just managed to duck Itachi's deadly strike. Strands of her own raven-black hair were cut, further proving how close she'd come to death, and the genjutsu mistress just barely managed to throw her arms up to block a hard kick sent at her chest.

Itachi's strength, while not monstrous like his partner's, was still enough though to send the beautiful kunoichi rocketing through the air.

"Kurenai!" Asuma hollered in worry, but when he moved to be by her side the bearded Jounin was forced to jump back so as to avoid Kisame's _Samehada_.

"I wouldn't be worrying about her right now, not when you've got _me_ as your opponent."

No matter how much he wanted to, the now Head of the Sarutobi clan knew there was no way he would get past Kisame without fighting him. So instead, the elite Jounin quickly weaved through a series of hand-signs before letting loose his jutsu.

" _ **Wind-style: Dust Storm jutsu!**_ "

A high-velocity stream of wind containing dust particles shot from Asuma's mouth. The ninjutsu barreled forward, its target being the rogue-ninja in front of the caster.

Kisame saw this, and seemingly vanished in a shocking display of speed.

Asuma cut his chakra from the attack, and pushed his body to its limit as he managed to jump over the ex-Cypher ninja's thrusting blade. From his place in the air Asuma whipped his body around, and aimed a strong kick at the side of Kisame's head.

With his right hand holding _Samehada's_ handle, Kisame swiftly brought his left up, over the right shoulder, and stopped his opponent's kick.

With Asuma still in the air the former Mist-ninja angled his massive blade, and made an attempt to bring it up so as to gut the Konoha Jounin. The bearded shinobi surprised Kisame though by using his free foot to halt the rounded tip of the sword in its tracks.

But then, seeing how the man's leg was shaking, Kisame laughed.

"That was certainly an impressive maneuver, now let's see how long you can hold it."

Asuma knew the answer already though and, having no intention of being skewered, brought his hand level with Kisame's face and surprised the S-ranked criminal by streaming chakra through his knife. The ethereal blue energy sharpened and formed a solid extension along the weapon's edge, and Kisame was forced to duck away so as to avoid having it pierce his skull.

This gave Asuma the leverage he needed to wrench his leg free and jump away.

Kisame shook off the near-death experience, but growled in his throat when he noticed that his cheek had been sliced and a thin trail of blood had trickled over his skin.

"You're gonna pay for that." The rogue-ninja threatened before forming his own hand-signs.

" _ **Water-style: Water Shark-Bomb jutsu!**_ "

" _ **Water-style: Water Shark-Bomb jutsu!**_ "

Kisame's beady eyes widened in disbelief as his technique was copied, and two large sharks made from water collided.

The Mist-ninja turned his eyes away from Asuma and let his face morph into a look of intrigue as he found Kakashi's form standing along the water's surface, a few feet behind Itachi.

"Kakashi Hatake," Itachi's ever-calm voice carried through the air. "You see Kisame, this is why I warned you about making a scene."

"I guess you were right then," the Uchiha prodigy's partner relented. Although he never lost his smile as he continued, "But think of the _fun_."

Itachi didn't take his eyes off Kakashi as he rebuked, "In case you've truly forgotten; we aren't here for fun. We have an objective...one that will need finding again now that we have been delayed."

"And just what is this _objective_ of yours? What are you guys after?"

Itachi's eyes seemed to spin, drawing a look of horror from Kakashi, as he answered with only three words.

"The Yondaime's legacy."

 _ **xXx**_

Sasuke leaped from one final roof before landing with a flip in the middle of a side-street. From his place on the ground he looked over at the apartment complex that he'd been looking for and frowned.

What did Kakashi want with him, and why hadn't he been at the meeting place like he was supposed to? Because even with the ex-Anbu's reputation he had never been late for a meeting with the young Uchiha.

Sasuke exited from the alley he'd been in and made his way between the crowds to reach the entrance.

Upon reaching the front desk, the last Uchiha asked the lady at the front desk for his Jounin instructor's room number. When he was given the room, Sasuke left the lobby and made his way up the stairs.

As he walked up the steps, Sasuke thought back to his last meeting with the former Anbu Captain. The silver-haired Jounin had told him about the circumstances surrounding his desire to be promoted and what he'd been told angered the last Uchiha.

He would not be made a chunin.

Besting a Jounin by surprise during an invasion was not enough to overshadow the glaring disqualifications Sasuke carried.

"Your thirst for vengeance and lack of control is what lead to your loss of that eye Sasuke," Kakashi had told him. "And if you're not careful it'll be the reason you never move past genin rank."

But what did Kakashi, or any of them know? They hadn't been forced to suffer a genjutsu that had them witnessing the deaths of their entire family...their entire way of life. None of them understood the job Sasuke had been given. The duty that had been thrust upon him.

And the _need_ for more power to accomplish his new destiny.

Kakashi had told him that their had been word sent out to a seal master who would take a look at the mark on his neck but, the more he thought about it, the more Sasuke began to think that he didn't want anyone trying to get rid of the seal.

The last Uchiha had deduced, through hours of silent debate, that it had been that very seal which had amplified his _Sharingan_ during the battle with Kiba.

As well as giving him that boost in strength and speed.

Such benefits had surely boosted him to chunin-level; and that was with the mark being contained by Kakashi's repression seal. Which begged the question: what would it be like if he'd let it run loose?

That had been the train of thought Sasuke was on when Kakashi's messenger hawk had appeared in the sky, and now, as he reached that track again, Sasuke found he had reached the Jounin's room. However, hearing voices from within and being curious the genin stopped and listened.

Hearing that his sensei had been brought down was shocking enough, but when Sasuke learned by _who_ and why his blood ran cold...before boiling in hatred.

Knowing he would be stopped if they found him Sasuke backed away from the door slowly, and then turned and slowly made his way down half the steps before tensing, and shooting off like a rocket with only the last words he'd heard running through his mind.

" _We need to keep Itachi away from Naruto at all costs."_

 _ **xXx**_

Azure eyes looked down at the letter in their owner's hands in disbelief. Surely this couldn't be true.

And yet, even after reading it for a third time Naruto found that the words written on the parchment before him hadn't changed. The words written by his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, did not end in any show of joking.

Naruto was sure he was going to be sick.

But just as he was readying himself to vomit, the blonde's horror-stricken mind was snapped back to reality by a knock at the door.

Jumping from his place on the bed, the newly minted chunin used trembling hands to fold the letter back into shape before hiding it inside his pack. The normally astute blonde was still far too rattled to think about using his enhanced senses to check who was behind the door.

Besides, it was probably just that perverted old Sannin coming back from striking out with that woman from earlier.

Leaving his new flak jacket on the floor, Naruto made his way over to the door and unlocked it.

"So, she dumped you already—huh?"

Azure eyes did not meet a hungover Sage. No, instead when he'd opened the door Naruto found himself looking at a young man in a black cloak. The red clouds that were scattered over the uniform matched the deadly crimson of the stranger's eyes.

Eyes that Naruto recalled seeing on only two other people.

 _'Which makes this guy...'_

"Itachi Uchiha."

In his studies Naruto had come across the Uchiha Massacre, and the man who performed it. At the time, the blonde had never expected this meeting to ever take place, and now that it was he had no clue how to react. Instead, only two thoughts could make their way into his head.

What was the mass murder doing here?

And, more importantly, what did he want with _him_?

"Well look at that, the kid knows your name. Looks to me you're more famous than you thought Itachi." The new voice drew Naruto's attention, and had the blonde looking over at the man standing beside the Uchiha youth. And the Kiri headband with the slash through it.

"W-Who are you guys doing here," Naruto muttered in confusion. "What do you want with me?"

"We want you to come with us," Itachi answered simply. "As for why, well, I'm sure you can figure that out."

He could.

"The Nine-Tails." It wasn't a question, there was no other reason the blonde could think of that would draw two dangerous-looking shinobi to him.

"That's right so, if you could come quietly there's someone who would like to meet you." Was Itachi's response.

"I would," the blonde answered carefully as he leaned against the door frame. "Except the Sandaime always told me never to go anywhere with strangers; so I'm gonna have to decline."

As he said this Naruto used his _**kawarimi**_ to replace himself with the pillow on his bed before grabbing his pack and zanbato before pushing out his hand. " _ **Wind-style: Great Breakthrough!**_ "

Both rogue-ninja were surprised by the younger ninja's ability, but still managed to avoid the seal-less ninjutsu. Although, when they looked into the room again, all traces of their prey were gone. Itachi managed to keep the perturbed look from his face while Kisame glowered with excitement.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," the former Mist-ninja laughed.

Then, before Itachi could stop the larger man he was racing out the opened window in an effort to catch the fleeing blonde.

Seeing no other way now the Uchiha sighed through his nose and broke into a flock of crows before following.

With their superior speed it didn't take the pair long to find Naruto, and when they did it was interesting to note that he'd chosen a place devoid of people.

And then there was the stance he was in.

"You think using one of my village's jutsu against us is gonna help you kid?" Kisame taunted when he recognized the _**Hidden-Mist**_ stance.

"I'll never know unless I try," the blonde answered as a thick fog began to roll in.

Seeing the creation of such a large-scale mist without a water source interested the former Mist-ninja enough that he was almost willing to let the chunin finish. Had it not been for Itachi that is.

"Kisame enough, you wanted your fight and here it is. Now hurry up before Jiraiya realizes what's going on."

The rogue in question huffed indignantly before gripping his sword handle and rushing his target. Itachi was always such a stick in the mud.

Naruto saw the swordsman coming and immediately reached back for his own blade. Whipping the Executioner's Blade from its holster, Konoha's newest chunin swung the massive steel weapon around and clashed with Kisame's own unique sword.

Eyeing the scaly blade Naruto recalled Ten-Ten's information.

"So, this is really is the famous Samehadahuh? It's an honor to meet both it, as well as its handler." The blonde offered in respect. Then, Naruto let his muscles relax before sliding out from under the older man's path of attack.

With Kisame's sword smashing the ground of the park they'd entered Naruto swung his Kubikiribocho around in an effort to cut the man in half.

The former Seven Swordsman surprised his opponent by ejecting a kunai from a launcher hidden under his arm warmer and using his unbelievable strength to block the attack. However Kisame wasn't done yet. In a shocking display of dexterity the shark-like man pushed off his planted feet and somersaulted over Naruto's swing.

Landing on his feet again, Kisame went low and spun, bringing his _Samehada_ around in a sweep meant to take Naruto's legs off. The blonde stopped this completing his own spin, ramming his zanbato into the ground, and then pushing up with his palm to hold himself in the air.

Both legendary swords 'clanged' as they met again, and Kisame had to give it to his young adversary. The Nine-Tails jinchuuriki was proving to be a special kind of opponent.

 _'It's too bad we have to capture him,'_ the former Mist-ninja thought.

The excitement grew when Kisame was forced to throw his forearm up to block an ax-kick, only to be surprised when the boy exploded. Kisame was sent hurtling back, but stabilized himself quick enough to dodge the thrown zanbato coming his way.

"Kisame it's another clone," Itachi warned. This gave the Uchiha's partner enough time to avoid the seal-less wind jutsu that the revealed clone shot at his back.

While the battle continued Itachi silently had to praise his target; Naruto Uzumaki was indeed skilled. The blonde they caught at the park had obviously been the real deal, but he'd apparently created a clone while waiting for them and then performed a replacement while lifting himself into the air.

 _'And then there's the fact he knows the_ _ **exploding**_ _ **shadow-clone**_ _, as well as any form of seal-less ninjutsu.'_

Yes, this boy would truly become formidable should he be allowed to develop fully.

"Kisame, that's enough playing around—"

"Itachi!"

The _Sharingan_ wielder silently cursed. He had sensed his brother long before, but had hoped Kisame would be able to take care of the jinchuuriki before Sasuke arrived.

It would seem not.

Not even bothering to turn and look, Itachi uttered a single, composed greeting.

"It's good to see you too, little brother."

 _ **xXx**_

It wasn't only members of the leaf village that were surrounded by strife. Miles away, in the desserts of Suna, a number of the Sand village's scouts looked on in horror at a sight they prayed not to find.

The body of their Kazekage. The _dead_ body Sabaku no Rasa.

And from the look of it, he had been dead for a long time. They could see from the way scarabs and vultures picked at little scraps of flesh that covered the almost barren skeleton.

"So then it wasn't Lord Kazekage who ordered the joint attack with Sound," one of the Sand-ninja muttered in a sick tone. "B-But then, if not him, who?"

"It had to have been Orochimaru," the scout leader answered through gritted teeth. "That _psychopath_ must have killed the Kazekage and either he or that wretch Kabuto took his place. It's thanks to that bastard that we've lost not only Lord Rasa, but both Baki and Kankuro as well!"

The same ninja who'd spoken before then tentatively asked, "Should we tell Lady Temari about this, about what happened to her father?"

The sandy-blonde kunoichi had been placed under house arrest for aiding Naruto in Gaara's defeat, but because of her tremendous skill coupled with their need for active ninja that was the only punishment Temari received. Along with the brand worn by all Suna traitors.

"What good would that do," the captain questioned in response. "You and I both know the girl held no love for her father after what happened to her mother. Let the girl think he fell at the hands of the Hokage before the man battled Orochimaru."

"And I suppose there would be no point in informing Lord Gaara." A third voice concluded.

Gaara had lost his arm during the red-head's battle with Naruto and had been given an emergency procedure outside Konoha's walls to keep him alive. From there he had been rushed back to Suna along with the retreating forces, where he was placed in a sealed, sedated coma until a better seal master could be found to work on the jinchuuriki.

No, there would be no point in informing either of the last remaining Suna Siblings of their father's fate. They all had much more important matters to deal with, like the terms of surrender issued by the Leaf village.

 _ **xXx**_

Naruto eyed the Sannin that stood before him with a curious look.

"Would I like to learn the what?"

"The _**rasengan**_ ," Jiraiya repeated. He had broken it out upon reaching where he sensed Sasuke's _**chidori**_ , then after chasing off the two rogue-ninja and sending a toad to take a beaten and comatose Uchiha home offered to teach it to Naruto.

"It's a jutsu created by the Fourth Hokage himself, and while normally I don't offer to teach it to anyone I think you can handle it."

Hearing about the Fourth Hokage reminded Naruto of his mother's letter; which caused his blood to boil. However, his time practicing patience allowed the blonde to keep a cool enough head that he nodded sharply in a show of interest.

"Sure, if you think it'll help."

 _ **xXx**_

Itachi Uchiha stood before a figure wrapped in shadows as he stared into the uncharacteristically cold eyes of his mentor.

A pair of cool, onyx-black eyes looked back at him as their owner took in all the information they'd just been given.

"And you're sure he has the letter, and knows about what happened that night?"

It was an Itachi with his head bowed who answered. "Yes, I made sure the genjutsu I placed on Jiraiya was strong enough to override his sense of obligation. Kushina Uzumaki's fate has been revealed to her son."

"Good," the shadow replied. "Then we can only hope that he succeeds where we have failed. We can only hope he finds her."

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **A/N: Okay so that's part one of the Tsunade arc. The next chapter will cover the last half, and then things will really start to deviate from canon. As a chunin Naruto will now be getting real missions, and leading squads of his own, so I hope you're all ready for those chapters.**_

 _ **Alright, so I hope I did alright with Naruto's meeting with Kisame. Please let me know what you all think about it? Oh, and if you couldn't tell, Kisame obviously wasn't trying.**_

 _ **I skipped the scene between Sasuke and his brother because nothing different was going to happen. Sasuke was never a match for Itachi, we all know this, and I don't think he'd have stood any better chance at the end of the series if he hadn't obtained the Rinne-Sharingan. Especially since he wouldn't have received his brothers eyes.**_

 _ **Yes, I killed Kankuro, and yes Gaara lost his arm but that's because I don't see much of a place for Kankuro and my Naruto isn't really into making long-winded speeches about friendship. So, sorry, it's not likely the two of them will be brotherly for a long time.**_

 _ **And now, YES, I had Naruto's mother survive. I had that in mind from the beginning, only lately the idea has evolved into something I think is interesting. Hopefully, when it comes about, you'll all enjoy it.**_

 _ **As for Itachi's mentor? I will say that it's not Obito. Sorry, but I've made the decision that he's going to stay dead. And before you tell me this ruins the events of the story let me ask you something: did any of you care about the actual Kyubi attack before Kishimoto came up with his reason? Because I guarantee you he didn't have that plot from the beginning.**_


End file.
